Searching For The Answer
by SilverTigerdirector
Summary: Po has gotten quite close to Tigress over the past couple of years. But when a misunderstanding bans him from the palace, what will he and Tigress do?Will an old friend be able to help out or just make things worse? Rated M for sexual content and language.
1. Chapter 1: Suprise, Suprise

Chapter 1: Suprise, Suprise

It was a foggy and gloomy, yet cheerful day in the Valley of Peace as the kind citizens were going about their morning routines. Children were in school, parents were shopping, patrons were buying their meals, and there were even a few people street performing. Life in their part of the world was good.

It had only been a little over three months since the rise and fall of Lord Shen and his armada, and only a couple of weeks since the celebrations to honor the Kung Fu Masters that protected them died down. And though things seemed peaceful at first, events, even the most feeble, began to set in motion that would soon create an avalanche of danger the likes of which not even the warriors had ever seen.

Up the mountaintop of the Jade Palace, in the Palace kitchen, there was a certain fluffy panda fixing lunch for his idols. Nay his friends; a thought that would make him almost giddy at the initial prospect.

As he finished frying the fish and fried potatoes, the Furious Five came in from training smelling the delicious odor that filled their nostrils and made their stomachs gurgle with glee. After everyone had sat down, Po set each of their food-filled plates down in front of them and joined the group by sitting in between Mantis, who in truth simply sat on top of the table, and Tigress.

The midday meal started at the peak of normality, but soon it went into a little dip in the panda's pleasant return into his newly regained routine.

"This ain't too shabby, Po.", said Mantis, "Why haven't you ever made this for us before?"

Po chuckled a bit to himself in a soft yet anxious flinch, "Not sure, I guess it's because I'm finally getting used to my life here."

Everyone gave him a confused look as they ate, expecting him to continue and explain. When he didn't, an urge to break the silence with a question filled the air.

"I'm not sure that I understand. What do you mean, 'you're finally getting used to your life here'?", asked Crane, who eyed the panda.

Po glanced at everyone in the room with the smallest hint of nervousness in his features. No one seemed to notice this except Tigress, who had become accustomed to reading a person's body language throughout her years of training.

"It's nothing, to be honest." he said, "I guess to answer your question Mantis, is that I never really wanted to buy any fish down in the Valley. That old pig that sells them always gives me a weird look when I walk by."

"Po, he has a lazy eye. He stares like that at everybody.", said Viper before taking a sip of water.

Po attempted to act surprised "Oh, okay. Guess I owe him an apology then." he chuckled softly and continued to eat lunch along with everyone else. Save for Tigress, who studied him for a minute before going back to her food.

Her thoughts danced in her head for the remainder of the meal. "_Why did he lie to us just now? Over his cooking, no less. It doesn't seem like a very personal issue. But just in case, I will wait until we are alone before I interrogate him_."

Slowly she finished the rest of her meal and waited for the panda. Thankfully his nerves had caused his normal fast paced scarfing to slow. He was eating even slower than Viper. One by one the rest of the Five finished their food, put their dishes in the sink, and left the kitchen until the two were finally alone. Po finished his food just after Viper had left and proceeded to take his plate and cup to the sink to begin his regular chore. Tigress studied him yet again before speaking up.

"Po?", she said.

"Hm?, "exclaimed the panda before glancing over his shoulder, "Oh hey, Tigress. I thought you were going back to the Training Hall with the others.", he continued to wash the dishes, but he now held a small, genuine smile that was different from his normal reflexive state.

"In a few minutes, perhaps. But right now I need you to help me get some peaches from the Sacred Peach Tree after you are finished, if that's okay with you. I will need about three dozen or so, after all.", she said.

"I don't see why not. But why do you need so many peaches?", Po asked without looking away from the dish water that his paws had been immersed in as he continued to wash the dishes.

"It's a surprise for Master Shifu. His birthday is coming up, and I wanted to make him a pie."

Po blinked for a second as he stared at the wall behind the sink, caught in the moment of the question she seemed to avoid, "But, again, why so many peaches?"

"Po tell me, after how long we hve known each other have you ever seen me bake anything? Or cook anything at _all_?", she then shrugged lightly, "I want to make sure I do everything perfectly, and I know that I do not have the skills to bake it correctly the first time around."

"Ohhh, okay.", Po nodded as he finished the dishes and turned around before they made their way to the door and outside towards the peach tree. Normally Tigress wouldn't mind just talking with him in the kitchen, but this seemed important. And she wished to avoid any stragglers that may or may not decide to prod their noses in their business. Particularly bug or primate stragglers.

Tigress stopped for a moment and blinked, "_**Our**__ business? I meant __**Po's**__ business. Yes, of course that is what I meant..."_, the tiger shook her head and continued to follow the bear.

Once they arrived, Po immediately began to pick the peaches with one arm and hold them with his other. He was making short work of it, so Tigress decided she might as well get to work.

She leaned on the tree, close to the opposite side of where he was standing as she spoke with a tone befitting a careless sloth.

"So why did you lie to everyone back there, Po?", asked the feline while gazing at her claws, seemingly inspecting them for imperfections. Po glanced at her as he continued to pick peaches.

"What do you mean, the fish thing? I didn't lie. That old pig really gives me the creeps sometimes.", Po gave a small, but obviously fake shudder.

Tigress rolled her scarlet eyes, "I am not talking about that, although you _did _lie about him as well. You stuck up for him when Mantis made a joke about his eye at your dad's noodle shop a couple of months ago.", she smiled some, making sure he didn't see it. Tigress always admired how pure of heart and kind he was. But her smile faded so that she could look straight at him, "I speak of your lie about 'getting used to your life here'."

She withdrew from the tree and took a small step closer to him to look him straight in the eye to make sure that their eyes locked. No one could hold out too long from her piercing gaze. And it worked. Po had stopped picking peaches the second he looked in Tigress' eyes and gently set them down with a sigh.

"You're not really making a pie for Master Shifu, are you?", he said with a tone of annoyance in his voice.

"Answer my question first. What did you mean by it? Is it really such a bad thing to admit something to a friend? Especially when the confession is so small a thing? Especially when two friends are as close as we are?", she drew a bit closer so her eyes would be even more unbearable.

Her gaze was really starting to get to him. He enjoyed looking at her eyes all the time. When she was training, when they were sparring, or when they were just facing each other in the hall of the barracks at the sound of the gong. He could stare at _those _eyes for hours on end. But this was different. _These _eyes had a purpose to ensnare, capture, and defeat any resistance. He could never ignore any normal everyday request from her, but this...this was just too hard to even think for a fleeting moment that he could ignore it.

Po pinched the bridge of his nose and let out an almost unheard groan.

"Okay, but do you promise not to get too angry with me, or more importantly tell _anyone_ else regarding what I'm about to tell you?", he said as his fingers still clung to his snout. Tigress gently pulled his arm down so that his hand was away from his face, giving him a soft smile.

"Of course. ", she sat down at the base of the tree and patted the spot next to her. Po sat down where her paw was and stared down at the grass beside his feet with an uneasy air, his nerves strained to the point where he wanted to smack himself.

"What I was starting to say was..." he looked into her eyes for a moment in a glance, causing his nerves to steady some."...I...well, first off I always thought of you guys as my friends from the day that Tai Lung was defeated.", he did not see it, but Tigress shook her head in a smirk at Po's natural modesty from not boasting about his first victory as a Kung Fu Master, "But since that day I still felt like I didn't belong here. Living in a Palace, being around Palace servants that basically do whatever I ask, living in the same place as my childhood heroes, becoming the Dragon Warrior and the talk of all around China...i-it got to be a little too much for me to handle. Do you remember that even on our day off every week I wouldn't go anywhere near the Palace doors?"

Tigress nodded, trying to listen to everything he had to say with eager sympathy.

"Yes, but you started going down to the village a couple of months ago.", stated Tigress in an understanding sigh. She was beginning to realize what he was saying, though she had always suspected it. When she actually started to see him as a friend and care for him, Tigress started to reflect on the fact of just how hard this life change had been on him. From a normal, everyday commoner to basically royalty in just a few short days. Her heart sank whenever she thought about the ugly things she had said to him during said days, but she has since apologized and he, to her surprise, accepted her apology wholeheartedly. That still didn't change the fact that she still felt a little guilty.

"Right. Well, that brings me to my point. You guys started to become a real family to me. Through our missions and adventures together I felt much closer and came to trust you all with my life. But until the whole 'Lord Shen' fiasco, I had always had that little part inside of me that said, 'You don't belong here. They don't really care, you're just a prophecy turned truth to them. You're just a weapon.'"

Tigress' face began to show a mix of shock and anger with each word he spoke, and that last word was the last straw. 'Weapon'. Did he really think that that's all he was to them? She looked so angry that Po thought he had truly struck a nerve and started to inch away slightly, fearing retribution.

"Buuut!", he put his paws up in defense so that she would allow him to continue, and thanked every god he could think of that she nodded slightly to let him finish before beating him to a pulp.

He sighed in relief and shame as his paws lowered, "But _after_ we defeated Lord Shen, I realized just how much you all cared for me. And those thoughts finally went away…completely."

Tigress looked at him for a minute, her anger seeming to have subsided to some extent, but it was replaced with annoyance and confusion.

"That is touching Po, but..."she spoke slowly as she tried to keep calm, thinking he was avoiding her question, "How does that...have anything to do...with you making us...fish...and fried potatoes...?"

Po tapped his fingertips over his somewhat large belly nervously and looked down. He felt so silly at the moment for dragging this out like he did. But she sat there and listened to him rant, so she deserved the truth.

"I really don't have much confidence in myself Tigress, I'm sure you know that.", he said softly, never looking away from the ground, "The only thing I ever had confidence in was the noodle soup that my dad taught me to make. And I was afraid that-"

"That we would not accept you if you made anything else.", Po nodded, and she sighed.

"Po, I do not know how much confidence that you think you should have. I am unsure as to how much you have right now. But you have saved China twice from two of the most evil men in the country, you have saved our lives on a few more occasions, you are the talk of China, and you were chosen by the universe to be the Dragon Warrior. You have earned the respect and admiration of a lot of people, including Master Shifu, the Five, and most of all me. The way I see it, you should have enough confidence to do anything you wish. And with a heart like yours, I do not think we will have to worry about you becoming 'just a weapon'.", she joined him in a soft laugh after she saw his once stressful lips curve into a smile.

"Thank you, Tigress.", he stood up with her and blinked a few times, "Wait, just how much _do _you respect and admire me?" he gave her a smug smile as he folded his arms. She blushed enough to almost glow the orange fur on her face.

"Well, you see, I-"she looked back at the Palace, then back to him, "I think Master Shifu is calling for us. We should get back to training."

She quickly turned on her heel and walked in haste back to the palace with Po trailing behind her carrying a stunned look on his face. He was only joking around with his best friend, yet that look on her face..."_No, it couldn't be. Could it? Does she really...like me like that_? _So…so that means…_", he thought and blushed in turn, grateful that she had her back turned to him as they went on their way back to the Training Hall.


	2. Chapter 2: Help Is A Matter Of Opinion

Chapter 2: Help Is A Matter Of Opinion

Tigress and Po were entering the Training Hall where Master Shifu was waiting for them patiently, and his facial features showed it. He looked calm and content, he even held a soft smile as he watched the two slip nervously into the building.

"Po. Tigress.", he gently nodded to each of them slightly with his arms behind his back, Oogway's old staff standing upright behind him. If it weren't for his smile, if he had his usual frown and furrowed brow like every other day, he might look like he was about to be burned to the stake at this position. But this didn't stop Po from feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"What's with him? Is he trying to maintain his cool until he kills us for being late?" he whispered in Tigress' ear with his mouth behind his paw. The feeling of his breath on her ear sent a happy shiver down her spine, though she tried her best to maintain her composure and replied in a hushed tone.

"I do not know. He usually has a dagger-like expression in his eyes when he is mad, even if he is smiling. But his eyes look too soft to hold any malice." Shifu's ear twitched slightly as he could hear every word they were saying. He decided to ignore it as he walked up to the two with the same expression as before, making Po even more uncomfortable as he subtly tried to inch his way behind Tigress to use her as a shield. Tigress simply laughed a little inside at his nervousness and bowed to her master.

"My apologies, Master Shifu. I was the reason we were late. I needed to speak with Po about a private matter." Po raised an eyebrow. She was trying to take all the heat? Well two can play at that game. Po stepped beside her and bowed to Shifu as well, slightly lower than the feline had just now.

"But it was mostly my fault master, I kept the conversation going for too long. I'm sorry."

Shifu looked at the two and chuckled a bit, "It is alright. Just make up the time you have lost by training a little longer tonight." He then turned his back on the tiger and panda, who looked at each other with disbelieving faces. Po was almost tempted to grab the red panda by the collar of his robe and shake him yelling, 'Who are you and what have you done with Master Shifu?', but he decided he liked the use of his limbs more than the simple joke. So he walked further into the Training Hall to start on the fire pit as Tigress made her way to the wooden dummies. Today was the day that he attempted to copy Master Viper's moves in an attempt to further his excellence in his own style. It was suggested by Master Shifu, saying that if he acquired the most positive attributes of the Furious Five and combined them with his own natural ability for Kung Fu, that one day he would be a truly unstoppable force of nature.

As Po walked towards the fire pit with more than a few butterflies in his stomach, he turned to his left to watch Tigress pounding the wooden dummies to dust. After a few moments of feeling the panda's eyes on her form, the tiger glanced in confirmation to find that Po had indeed been staring at her. Which in turn caused her to turn a slight shade of pink. This did not go unnoticed by Po, who had long ago begun to notice Tigress' subtle and almost unreadable signs of emotion.

The Dragon Warrior looked back at the fire pit determinedly and met Master Viper in the middle. And they bowed to each other in the traditional sign of great respect in a Kung Fu spar.

"Are you ready to gain some more black fur, brother?" said Viper, smiling as she got into her fighting stance.

"Just call me Panther Po!" he smirked in response and got into his own somewhat unrefined stance.

Tigress giggled a little at his joke as she pictured Po in all black fur. Shifu raised an eyebrow, not looking at his adoptive daughter so as not to draw attention to her. He was in fact watching Po and Viper, who were sparring around the disappearing and reappearing pillars of flame with a great speed about them. Po had become faster than anyone had expected him to, though it was unsurprising after Master Shifu had punished the panda for relentlessly asking the master for answers of how to move at supersonic speeds and the like. Curiosity was one thing for someone who had just achieved Inner Peace as to learn more of the state's secrets. But the giant panda had asked for it one thousand, six hundred and eighty two times too much.

Before Po knew it, he had been assigned to get up an hour before the gong rang every morning and walk down the Jade Palace steps with two buckets filled with rocks hanging from a staff and return to the barracks before the gong rang, with all of the stones still there. Shifu would count each one of them before Po could go and make breakfast. At first, Po would get extremely tired and by the time dinner came around he would either end up with his face to the floor or his face in his soup. The latter had annoyed the others as they tried their best to swipe the bowl away before he could splash it on them, but Tigress wouldn't have it. After asking her about it she would always mumble something about 'the soup is better than the hard wood table.'

After a week or so though, Po had started to get used to it. Sure he was still exhausted every day, but it didn't hurt as much to run up the steps every morning and he always felt lighter on his feet afterwards, especially when he was in front of his nice comfortable bed. But nonetheless he was making progress.

And he showed it.

He and Viper now spun, flipped, slid, blocked, and smacked at each other in a blur, neither one of them ceasing their onslaught as each and every attack was blocked or dodged, dodged more so in Viper's case. The match was soon a spectacle as everyone else had stopped what they were doing to watch in amazement.

Mantis, being the fastest of the Five in comparison to size, could easily track their movements, though he was still in awe of their moves combined with the dangerous effects of the pyrotechnics.

Crane was astonished, but he was drooling slightly as well, as he watched as much as he could to see his favorite green blur dancing among the flames.

Monkey was simply balancing on his tail to try and get a better view.

And Tigress, she just stood there with her arms crossed, a scowl of aggravation spread across her face as she watched the two in their motions, easily following every move they made.

Shifu soon made his way from the steps of the higher level that surrounded the Training Hall to stand beside his daughter. But after seeing the look on her face, he couldn't help but stop smiling in confusion. After a few minutes of contemplation, he returned his gaze to the green and gray blurs amongst the inferno.

"It seems as though Po has finally mastered Viper's Style.", he said, looking around at the others who were glancing at him in recognition of his voice, but keeping an eye on the battle. Everyone was eager to see who would win, but Shifu's thoughts stayed on the question of who's style should Po challenge next?

His thoughts were interrupted however, as the green blur was thrown out of the pit and into the Adversary; Viper's body barely missing his face as he could feel the heat from her scales burning his whiskers. He looked over at Viper, who was now being helped up by Crane. Then he looked over at Po, who was walking wearily out of the pit. He was out of breath, wheezing from the smoke and heat, and limping from the strain he had put on his leg. He had obviously overextended it to fling Viper out of the pit while keeping her from hitting any flames.

Po collapsed in front of his master after trying to bow in respect, only to lose his balance. The red panda looked at the Dragon Warrior for a moment before mumbling out a gruff 'good job', and turned to walk out of the training hall to meditate. Tigress watched her master and father walk out before looking down at Po, her hands to her sides as she eyed him with a small sense of amusement.

The panda looked up at her, curious as to why she had such an expression as he sat up,

"What?", Po said as he looked at the tiger.

Tigress merely laughed softly, "Po?", she said as she licked her thumb.

"Yeah?", he raised a brow.

"You are no longer at level zero.", she tried to hold in a giggle to no avail as she put out the small flame that had rested on top of his head.

Po let out the very laugh that she found so endearing and before she could stop herself, she found herself laughing with him as the joyful disease spread to everyone else in the training hall.

_With Master Shifu_

Meanwhile, Master Shifu was beginning to meditate in front of the shrine to Master Oogway. The candles that stood under the wall hanging of the graceful and wise turtle created a magical glow to the red panda's already experienced and pondering expression.

He sighed after a few minutes as he let his Inner Peace take over, immediately allowing his meditating to improve as he searched his own mind. Thankfully, he thought, no evil has yet to show it's face in the Valley of Peace since Lord Shen's demise. But that was not a guarantee for the future. They had to be ready. With all of the teachings at their disposal, and with his natural ability for learning Kung Fu, Po would be an outstanding warrior given time. But time is not something one always has at their disposal. And even with Inner Peace, Master Shifu felt uneasy at the suddenly peaceful state of the Valley of...erm...Peace. No thief, nor bloodthirsty maniac, nor even a bandit had reared it's ugly head anywhere near the Valley. So now he was meditating. To search for the best possible course of action in the teachings of the Dragon Warrior, not to mention any shortcomings that the Furious Five were showing lately. The Grandmaster breathed in slowly, then out slowly.

_In The Mental Plane_

_Shifu stood in utter blackness before waving a paw in front of him as the Five appeared, standing in attention looking as perfect as they had always been. Except for Tigress. She had an unusually large smile on her face. Shifu smiled as well as it was rare for him to see his daughter so happy, even if it was just in his mind. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized. He hadn't imagined her with this expression in the first place. He had imagined her with her normal emotionless features, which, unless his knowledge of meditation and it's laws were slipping, was how his mind should have perceived her. He shrugged this off as a plot by his subconscious to see his daughter happy and continued his contemplating._

_"Now then. The Dragon Warrior has already mastered two styles along with his own." said Shifu, who had now brought up the image of the goofy panda in front of him like the others and waved his paw dismissively as the images of Mantis and Viper disappeared. He then waved his paw over Po, who then started performing a form that mimicked his style, but showed much more perfection in the areas of flexibility and acrobatics thanks to Viper, as well as speed and precision thanks to Mantis__.__ Po then stopped moving as Master Shifu raised his paw again and turned to the three that remained of the Furious Five. He looked over them; studied them, while repeatingly glancing back at the Dragon Warrior. What did his form need most now? He was almost perfect in the areas of flexibility, precision, and his innate ability to improvise whenever needed. But Master Shifu knew that the physical aspects of his training, while important, was not the only factor in this formula to create the perfect warrior._

_Po had been picking up a few personality traits as well while spending so much individual time with each of the Furious Five. Unfortunately, he had picked up an even more annoying sense of humor from Mantis. Shifu had expected this, and for that reason he wanted Po to train with him first, in the hopes that Mantis' inappropriate humor would be either forgotten by Po or it would be beaten out of him._

_A wise choice to then choose Viper as his next instructor, as her polite attitude and cheerful demeanor was already rubbing off on the panda. He no longer ate as fast or as noisily, and he was even using a napkin!_

_Master Shifu chuckled to himself before turning to the three once more._

_Monkey. The good-humored weapons master of the Furious Five. He would be a good choice, but his urge to prank might be too much for Po to handle right now. Perhaps after the next instructor he might be mature enough to resist these temptations._

_Crane, the avian trainer of the Kung Fu family, was a good warrior. He held grace, speed, and the ability to swat away any defense. But his intelligence could prove to be an annoyance. While he could teach Po many things, his innate urge to assassinate people with a barrage of information would probably put Po in the fetal position on the floor of the Training Hall, trying to figure out why his brain hurt. Best to match him with Crane after he's learned to focus on the task at hand._

_Then he looked at Tigress. The closest thing to a perfect warrior that China had ever seen. She had maturity, grace, politeness, strength, flexibility, determination, and the senses of a true predator. But she had many faults as well. She was very proud, as are most tigers. Quick to anger, stubborn, and distant. But she and the Dragon Warrior had been spending a lot more time together lately, and her pride did not become as obvious these days. Her temper was still great, but she was biting her tongue lately, at least in front of Po. The tiger would always be stubborn. She was too stubborn to stop being stubborn. And she acted much less distant when she was around…Po._

_Sudden realization entered Shifu's mind as images flashed before him of the Dragon Warrior and the Master of the Tiger style spending time together. The memories pieced together rapidly and it struck him like a hammer._

_She was falling in love._

_"Of course!", he said in satisfaction as his mind now had closure of the problems that had clouded in the back of his head, "To Tigress, fighting with Po was the only way she used to connect with him emotionally. So when Viper and Po began sparring earlier she must have grown jealous at their fluid motions." he laughed, then looked at his daughter and pupil with a smile, her own smile still gracing her features as she still stood in attention alone with the master._

_"Oh, my daughter. I am so happy for you. I only pray that your love is returned tenfold by the Dragon Warrior."_

_Back to reality_

Shifu opened his eyes and sighed before standing up, Oogway's staff in paw. He looked up at the wall hanging and smiled with a bow, "Thank you Master, for choosing Po. He has brought more happiness than anyone could have ever predicted.", and with that he decided to take a stroll through the gardens of the palace.

_The Training Hall_

The Dragon Warrior stood up with Tigress' help after the laughter died down, and faced Master Viper before respectfully bowing to her, in which she did the same. His smile then vanished as he groaned, rubbing his left side.

"Damn. Viper, you could've picked a different spot besides my ribs.", he laughed softly, followed by another groan.

"Po, what's wrong?" said Tigress, a bit of panic in her voice.

"I-I'm okay, I just need to rest." he began to limp out of the training hall, but soon felt a warm paw on his shoulder. He turned to see Tigress putting his right arm around her shoulders before helping him walk out. Her sudden compassion made him blush a little, causing him to quickly look down on the ground as Tigress led them to the barracks.

She led Po to his room, helped him sit down on the bed, and was about to leave when she felt something inside her telling her to stay. Tigress turned to look at Po, who was turning a bit pale, she could tell by the lightheaded look in his eyes.

"Are you okay, Po?" her soft voice filled his ears, causing him to look up at her. A look of concern covered her face as she walked a little closer to him, putting her paw over his own and looking him in the eyes. He smiled wide at her gesture and nodded.

"I'm alright, Tigress. I just need some rest.", he laid down on his cot and sighed to himself. She eyed him for a moment before she herself nodded. Tigress then sat down in a meditative position, and showed no signs of getting up from the floor of his room. Po darted his eyes to her, and his eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Uhhhh, Tigress? Did you need anything else?" his words stung her as she flattened her ears and began to stand up as her voice turned emotionless, albeit a little hurt.

"I am sorry, Dragon Warrior. I was hoping to be of some help to you in your recovery, but I guess I was wrong." she started to turn around until she felt his paw on her leg, making her go rigid for a moment and show a look of shock. Normally his actions would earn him a swift smack in the face, but she knew that he'd been training hard and showed him mercy.

"No, no, no, no, no, no! That came out so very freakin wrong Tigress, I'm sorry!", her cool composure returned, but she let out a small smile when she turned to face him once more.

"It's alright, I know you don't need any help. I was just...",she trailed off, trying to think of a way to finish her sentence without saying something embarrassing. To her surprise, her somewhat grateful surprise, he said something that she knew made him feel just as embarrassed as her, if not more.

"Tigress.." he mumbled and twiddled his fingers,"D'you mind, I dunno...staying here with me tonight?"

His words caused him to blush a complete maroon now as he looked at his floor, wishing that he could shrink a thousand times smaller than Mantis. Suffice to say he looked nervous. Very nervous

Tigress was blushing as well, and hard. Luckily for her, her orange fur allowed her at least a little cover from this embarrassing expression. She smiled and knelt down to meet his gaze to show him that she was not at all angry at his request, "Of course."

Po smiled. But it wasn't his normal goofy smile that always made her let her barriers down. It was a smile of relief and contentment. He scooted to one side of the bed as much as he could to give her as considerably ample amount of room as possible before she laid down with her back turned to him. To some, this positioning would have made for a hurtful gesture to be seen as an act of pity. But to Po. He knew that even though the strides she had made to letting her guard down were great, but she was still Tigress. And he was more than happy that she was even considering his wish as he closed his eyes with that same smile on his face.

Tigress was expecting this to feel uncomfortable and awkward. But for some reason it just felt right. Like being in such a close proximity to this panda was going to steady her quick moving heart, which was always ready to dodge any signs of closeness. But her heart wasn't the real reason that she had decided to lie there with her back to him. She would have loved to have fallen asleep just staring into his drooping eyes and sweet grin. But her own expression wouldn't allow it. Her face was one of excitement and bliss, not to mention how much she was smiling and blushing; but she didn't want him to see that look. Not yet.

But before she could even try to settle her heart rate down and fall asleep, his paw laid over her body across her waist. She blushed even more and spoke quietly. Tigress cleared her throat so softly that she imitated herself from his hug at Gongmen Harbor.

"Uhhhhmmm...Po?", she then heard a soft snore echo throughout the small room. The tiger turned her head slightly to look at him and smiled, scooting closer to him as she rested her head back against his chest and slowly fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3: Come And Knock On Our Door

Chapter 3: Come And Knock On Our Door

Later that very evening, Po awoke from his reverberating slumber to find an almost pitch black canvas before his monochrome face. His bruised ribs were still quite raw from the beating they'd earlier received. And this was not so much of a problem as hours before. But something had changed in the past ten to twenty minutes. He looked down at his chest and realized that he had been sleeping on his side the entire time, which was a strange feeling since he had always slept on his back. Especially after an intense training session similar to the one he had endured with his snake sister. But what was even more peculiar to him in his groggy state, was the blurry sight of the feline clinging to his body. Purring.

Po sighed quietly into the night. A smile graced his features at the site. Tigress had never purred in front of him before, intentionally or otherwise. And to him it was a very grand accomplishment no matter the circumstances. But then his smile faded once he flinched from his gradually awakening state of mind. For now he realized what woke him up; Tigress had pierced her claws deep into the cheeks of his ass. He blushed a fiery red when he registered how she held him. And with his mind slowly returning to its normal state, he focused less on the face of the tiger that dimly glowed in the barely noticeable candle light in the corner of his room, and more on the darkness that surrounded them.

He looked around the room to ponder what he should do. Even with her recent attitude towards him Tigress would certainly maul the panda when she opened her eyes. But it felt so late into the night. And he was still so tired. Even with the excitement from seeing her lying with him like this, he was nowhere near being able to stay awake. He looked out at the window behind him to see where the moon was positioned in the sky, but he did so in vain. It was raining, and the sky was filled with clouds. He showed a slightly disappointed expression, though it could not be seen in the dark room. However a novel idea popped into his head. He remembered his dad telling him when he was younger how to tell the time after sleeping by feeling how much 'gunk' you have in your eyes. This skill was often useful for the Valley's business owners to keep track of when the sun had risen during the rainy seasons. A helpful aid to keep the business hours consistent. Po then checked his eyes with the gentle wiping of his fingers. He had quite a bit, and it was crusty. But there was still a little residue amongst it, which meant that he had been sleeping for at least six hours, yet no more than eight.

He sighed softly to himself and decided to make the best out of a, well in actuality a very good situation in his mind. He ever so slowly slid his arms over the tiger, then gently wrapped his arms around Tigress and laid his head down next to hers. Her purring became louder, apparently from his very touch. Tired though he was he could never do such a thing as to see this purring to be a curse. Yet she was purring so loudly, and he needed to sleep. So in the position the two were in he easily slipped into his Inner Peace. In those few moments he felt the world around them. It was the most peaceful feeling he'd ever endured with his favorite tiger around. He could smell the ever present scent of incense she grew up with. And the sterile scent of medical bandages that had etched its way into her skin from her constant need of their support mixed with this to give her the smell of a truly bodacious warrior. A warrior he…admittedly to only himself…became 'superly incredibly awesomely' enamored with. He pressed his forehead tenderly against Tigress'. And smiled at this feeling of warmth and closeness he always wanted with her. Yet soon enough his thoughts of the feline melded with his dreams of sleep, and it became impossible to ignore the calls of wondrous slumbers.

He awoke the next morning in pain and confusion. After the gong had rung, Tigress woke up first in a panic. She had jerked her paws away from his cheeks, not realizing that her claws were deep inside his skin. This then made some bloody slashes in the bear's rear. Po woke up with a yelp, fell back behind his cot and clutched his poor cushioning. Tigress was already standing, covering her mouth with her paws in concern. In her panic the tiger hadn't even stopped to think that a certain red panda would come to check on the scream of the Dragon Warrior, along with the rest of the Five. Master Shifu slammed open the door, looked at Tigress, then at Po, then at Po's hindquarters or lack thereof, then at Tigress' paws, which were stained with blood.

Shifu tried his best to keep calm, he really did. He tried to attain Inner Peace at the moment, but the situation was just too psychologically damaging. Viper, who had come into Po's room the night before to apologize for hurting him, had lied to Shifu and said that Tigress had needed to sit with the suffering panda until he fell asleep to make sure he had not sustained any internal injuries. Yet with the pain he had sustained it would take him a while to fall asleep. This convinced Shifu, and he allowed it as he knew that Tigress was caring more and more for Po with each passing day. But he had still expected her to do the right thing and sleep in her own room after Po had fallen asleep. He still acted calm, but Tigress could sense every bit of anger in his voice.

"Crane. Mantis. Monkey. Viper. Go to the Training Hall until breakfast is ready."

The four quickly followed his orders without hesitation. Whether it was from fear of Shifu's wrath, or the fact that they didn't want to witness the brutal murder that was about to take place, they didn't know. But they ran like hell from the barracks in a matter of seconds.

"Po. Tigress. Explain. Now." he said through gritted teeth and daggers for eyes, though they were mainly aimed at Po.

Po, who was still in pain on his knees behind the bed, glanced at Tigress as he was trying to come up with a proper, less embarrassing answer. Tigress was no better off. She wasn't ashamed, but she was still very embarrassed and was at a loss for words. After a few moments, Po managed to stutter a lie.

"I-I'm sorry, Master Shifu! Th-th-this is all my f-fault! I..."he glanced at Tigress again and bowed his head in shame of what he was about to say "I tricked Tigress into coming into my quarters and nerve attacked her when she wasn't looking. When she came to she must have realized what had happened and, with the position I had put us in, she had every right to claw me."

Shifu's eye twitched in anger, and he turned to look at his tiger pupil.

"Is this true?" he said with obvious anger, but with no malice towards her.

She had a face of shock for only a moment as Po told his lie, then of anger at his stupidity. Which unknowingly helped convince Shifu of the story. The tiger weighed the options and decided that Po's lie, although it may give him all the blame, might be the better course of action rather than allowing their master to think what was obviously going through his head when he initially entered the room.

She turned her gaze from Po to Shifu, who was staring at her awaiting an answer. The panda winked at her slightly to let her know it was okay. Her eyes were merely slits now as she looked at her master and slowly nodded at him. What she hadn't expected, what Po hadn't expected, was exactly what happened when Shifu turned to Po.

The red panda flew over the bed and landed on top of Po's stomach. As Po let out an 'oof', the master slammed a harsh blow into the panda's throat to surround the innocent neck in the crescent shaped end of Oogway's staff.

"I will ask this only once, panda! Did you violate my daughter?" he spat through grinding teeth, gripping the staff tighter and doing his best not to completely throttle the Dragon Warrior.

"N-no mas! I nevr d' sicha think!" was all that Po could cough out before his air supply was all but gone. Master Shifu let go of the panda's throat, allowing the victim to intake a large supply of much needed air.

Shifu kicked painfully off of Po's stomach and paced back and forth for a few minutes, stopping only when Po sat up. The Grandmaster of the Jade Palace pondered on what to do with the Dragon Warrior. He needed to train him in the Tiger style, but he didn't want him anywhere near his daughter, at least for the time being. For a fleeting moment he asked himself how Po had learned the nerve attack, but quickly dismissed it since Po was able to learn high techniques such as the Wuxi Finger Hold without even seeing it being performed or even reading a scroll on the subject. Yet he knew that Tai Lung had used the nerve attack on Po during their battle as he had explained shortly after Tai Lung was gone.

Tigress was panicking a little inside. She was tempted to tell her master the truth, but from the look on Po's face he knew what she was thinking and he shook his head at her. So she held her tongue per his request. For a moment she took into account just how little effort it took for him to keep her from doing something when he had never even been able to beat her in a sparring match. She allowed herself to chuckle inside at the irony, but maintained her emotionless expression.

Master Shifu looked at Tigress, remembering her smile in his mind and the realization that she was falling for the panda. But now, he thought, she would easily keep her distance from the Dragon Warrior after last night's events. He then turned to Po. The anger in his voice was gone, but it was replaced with a sorrowful and solemn tone.

"What I cannot understand is why you did this. You brought peace to the Valley, and to me. You were a part of our family. You _made _us a family. This is so out of character for you, but the evidence is clear." he gestured slightly to Po's injury as he continued, but his speech was slower this time, "I can honestly say, that since Tai Lung betrayed us, I have _never _been so disappointed in someone. You...are banished from the Jade Palace...for six months. You are still the Dragon Warrior, there is nothing I can do about that. So you will train with Crane and Monkey outside of the village. You will not see Tigress nor have any sort of contact with her until your banishment is over. And when you return we will have a separate room on the other side of the palace for you to stay in. As for you learning the Tiger Style, you will learn from another Master who will stay in your room until you return and perhaps even after that. Now pack up your things. I want you out of the palace in an hour."

The room was silent. Every single word that was uttered from Shifu's mouth stung the heart of everyone in the room. No one showed it except for Po, but they were all on the verge of tears. Po opened his mouth to speak, but the red panda quickly left the room, marching out of the barracks in a haste. Po turned from the now empty doorway and settled his eyes on Tigress. It was now he realized she was staring at him. And he half expected her to storm out in a rage. But she did not move.

Po got up and wiped his eyes before he started to pack his things. Tigress broke the silence, her voice more emotional than Po had ever heard before.

"Why will you not tell him the truth! You do not deserve this Po, y-", she was cut off as he stopped his actions and put a finger to her lips, ignoring all fear of her ire now as confirmation from her showing her softer side.

"Tigress what do you think he would do to me, or worse you, if he found out what really happened? In his anger, he'd jump to conclusions just as he did before I lied. And what's worse he would still separate us, but you would be punished too." he looked at her with a sad expression, something she had never seen on him, something that she never wanted to see on him again. He pulled his finger away, and suddenly her lips felt so cold for some strange reason. She could have sworn that she was glaring at her friend, but by the sympathetic look in his eyes she must have truly been close to tears. "I'm sorry, Tigress. This is all my fault, anyway. If I hadn't have made you stay here, you wouldn't ha-"

He was the one interrupted this time, but not by a finger. His white face almost became a pure pink as her lips pressed against his. She started to pull away out of regret that he would not return her feelings as he hadn't returned the kiss. But just as she was about to break her lips away from his, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back with a passion that answered any question she might have had for him in respect towards the lingering feelings they had for each other. With this confirmation the tiger wrapped her arms around his neck and purred deep in her throat.

Little did they know they were about to have a visitor slithering in at a rapid pace.

"Po! Tigress! Is it true what Shifu is sa-",Viper stopped dead in her tracks as she turned the corner from the hall into Po's room. Her mouth fell open as a small smile curved her lips, her tears still running down her cheeks from the news. It was a very odd expression, but she didn't care.

The scaled master stood there for a full minute watching them kiss. Apparently they either didn't hear her coming in or didn't care. It was such a heart soothing scene and she did not want to leave, but Viper respected their privacy and silently slithered away. The comfort in her heart was now reverted from the picture of a million words. Yet she still felt guilty before when they all saw how mad Master Shifu was, and now her guilt dragged her into a _horrid_ state. She _had _to make it up to the two lovers somehow. But how? Her lie had absolutely convinced Shifu, but she couldn't tell him another lie. Even if she wanted to the red panda was entirely untrusting to begin with, but even with her natural talent of deception Viper's name was currently mud to her master. Viper stopped in her tracks again to find herself in the courtyard from her pensiveness, this time with an idea that popped into her head. _She_ wouldn't lie to Shifu. But what if someone _else_ did? Someone that would force Shifu to allow Tigress and Po to be together.

The reptile's once comforted smile soon grew mischievous with her swiftly slithering out of the Jade Palace and down to the Valley.

_Back with Po and Tigress_

It could have been hours, or even days to them as Po and Tigress held each other, but they took no notice of time around them. They simply didn't want to let go. But eventually their lips broke apart ever so softly with a quiet smack, their foreheads touching as they looked into each other's eyes. Again, Tigress broke the silence with a voice so quiet and cracked that you would have thought someone was opening a squeaky door.

"I do not want to lose you.", she closed her eyes, trying to keep the tears from being released from her ever weakening grasp.

"You aren't going to lose me, Tigress. Six months. It'll be tough. But it isn't forever." he lifted her chin with his finger and kissed her again with the softest touch ever.

She smiled for a second, but frowned again. "But Shifu is going to watch you like a hawk. How can we be together if he does not approve?"

Po sighed softly, closed his eyes, then opened them to find hers once more. "All we can do is hope and pray that during that time he will have settled down. And who knows? With his Inner Peace, he might even change his mind and I can come back early." he gave her a hopeful smile, but she shook her head.

"No. He is not as quick to forgive as you are, Po. Unless a miracle happens, I do not think that we will ever be together." she sniffled and buried her head into the crook of his neck to feel his embrace again. He had been contemplating on telling her the three words that no one had ever said to her before, but he didn't take this feeling lightly. He wanted it to be at the right time. In the right setting. And he knew that she had strong feelings for him, but did she really love him? Or was this just a mountain of built up emotions crashing down where he just happened to be? It was an understatement to say that he was hesitant. But in their situation, he may never have the chance to say it again. With great effort, he opened his mouth to speak. But no sound was uttered. He had been stopped in his words when she raised her head to look at him, and her eyes were brimming with tears filled with anger and hatred.

"I cannot let this happen. I will _no__t _let this happen!" she smashed her lips into his for only a moment before tearing away from him and running out of the room to leave the barracks. Po sighed again. He had seen that aggravated expression before, though not one so filled with emotion. She was going to go train. He was tempted to go after her, but suddenly remembering how long their embracing had taken he realized that he was only fifteen minutes away from Master Shifu's deadline. So he quickly continued to pack, not wanting to bring out anymore of the red panda's wrath at the moment.


	4. Every Song A Hit, Every Hit A Slap

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I believe that an explanation is in order. Ever since the original release of this chapter I regretted it, for obvious reasons being Viper's involvement in the "Ladies of Shade" episode. It was a fault on my part and so in this revision much of the dialogue has changed. As such, I am also releasing a one shot within the next few days starring the leopardess herself in a short story explaining what this very chapter makes reference to.**

Chapter 4: Every Song A Hit, Every Hit A Slap

The figure in the trees flung itself over a fallen tree trunk in this thickened forest. It's light yet heavily pounding feet treaded hastily, and they craved more ground. The face was muddled with dirt on the spotted cheeks though the gray fur behind the lifted earth still shined elegantly; it's forehead scraped by evidence of a rather protruding tree branch not a mile ago.

Cerulean eyes darted forward, then to the right, then the neck craned over this side to dart the eyes backward, then forward again. The nervous creature had right to be as such, but soon it would be safe; and with the one warrior it knew to be kind hearted and true. The one who lived in the very village this creature saw as it's frame finally met the end of the hellish forest at the top of the great hill sitting before the village not an acre of green away.

_With Viper_

Viper rushed into the village, not stopping for anything as her slick body swerved and slid past the streets teeming with crowds of shoppers and groups of sellers. Her ever quick thinking mind continuously revised and reassessed the lie on her way to her destination, yet not much would slow her down. She stopped only for a minute to pick up some coins for a villager that had just dropped his coin purse, but she immediately glided away with as much grace as the speed she carried before the goose could thank her.

As Viper turned the corner to the messenger's district of the town, she smacked her head into a furry leg; much too big to be a bunny's. Viper shook her head and looked up at the figure.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I was just in a bit of a hurry!" she couldn't see the creature's face because of the position of the sun, but as she squinted her eyes she could tell it was a feline. It was panting, it's breaths were uneven. It sounded scared. It wasn't until the feline bent down to apologize as well, causing it's face to be revealed, when the snake got into a defensive stance.

"Song!", hissed Viper, "May I ask _what_ exactly are you doing in the Valley of Peace?"

The relatively short snow leopard wasn't looking too clean with her paws on her shaking knees. Her fur was matted all over from sweat and dirt, her usual metallic scarlet and ebony clothes were tattered, and she had sustained many small lacerations all over her arms and legs. Viper studied Song more closely and put down her defenses from the extent of her inspection.

"You've been running...running away...from someone..."she raised her defenses again, "From whom? Jail guards? Bounty hunters? Rival Thieves?"

Song was still breathing heavily as she leaned on her knees.

"Try...all...of the above..."

"Whahaa?", exclaimed Viper in a squeaky tone. She kind of hated to admit it, but her time spent with Po had made her mannerisms involuntarily goofier.

After Song had caught her breath she expressed a small chuckle and stood up straight.

"It's a long story. Can I explain when we get to the Jade Palace?", she started to move past Viper, but Viper swiftly, with one fluid motion, had bit into the corner of a wooden building, wrapped the end of her body around Song, and flung her into an alley like she did Po in Gongmen City, except she kept a hold on Song, letting go of the building and using the momentum to slide with her into the alley. At least some good came from her training with Po. He taught her how to use more momentum by shifting her weight.

"Ohohohoho no. I'm not letting you anywhere near the palace until you explain yourself, and I have some _very _important business to attend to, so spill!", she hissed, tightening her grip on Song's legs.

Song flinched and laid her large ears back as she sighed in defeat. Her eyes trailed to the ground, covered in regret of her last visit to the Valley of Peace; one that did not bode well for the feline's group nor her personal reputation.

"Okay, but you have to promise to take me back to the palace after I tell you."

"I know I will either way. You see, attempted theft alone earns you a room in the dungeon for a little while, and that stunt you and your pals pulled insured it.", normally the snake would have just agreed and be done with it, but with the mixture of guilt she had about Po and Tigress, her naturally devious mind crafting a plan to fix the problem, the adrenaline she had from slithering so fast, and the short amount of time she had before Master Shifu forced Po out of the Palace had made her anxious, aggravated, and impatient while having to deal with this criminal.

Her cold appearance softened a bit as Song began to quietly weep, causing Viper's natural nursing personality to make an appearance.

"I-I understand, but...nothing is seeming to go right for me, NOTHING!", she sobbed, hugging her legs and burying her face in her knees as Viper uncoiled her body and rubbed the snow leopard's shoulder.

"What do you mean? I know the life of a thief must be hard, but why can't you just try to turn over a new leaf?"

Song sniffled a bit and spoke a little muffled from her sobs and talking into her legs.

"Don't you understand? I tried! I tried to get the Ladies of Shade to turn their lives around, but they wouldn't have it. They all left me! I'd have thought it obvious after our last visit…"

"I suppose it makes sense, the Ladies weren't appearing too thrilled about your decision to return all the money Master Shifu provided…", just then it dawned on her as she remembered what she was doing. She looked at Song, her face riddled with anxiousness and impatience, but her aggravation was hidden if it even remained there at all, "Now Song, I can tell that you're hurting and you don't seem to have bad intent, so talk with me while I go about my business in the village.", she slithered to the end of the alleyway and looked back at the leopard, who was dusting herself off and wiping away her tears.

"O-okay.", she walked with Viper down the street and started talking in a faster rhythm, not wanting to test the snake's patience any more than she already had, "You see, after that little erm, escapade with the hawks, we decided to maybe sort of keep some of the spoils to ourselves an-", Viper cut in, glancing up at her as they kept to their path.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, you were skimming from the ransom money? Ooh that's low, Song, even for you. Master Shifu isn't going to be happy about hearing this. Then again, I don't think he will ever be happy again after this morning." her voice saddened during that last sentence as she stared ahead.

"What do you mean? What happened?"

"Your story first, sweetie." the snake successfully hid the tears that welled within her during present company.

"Uh huh. So anyways after that we felt really bad. So bad even that some of us took the money and donated it the poorest of villages we could find. After this we made ourselves vow that we would uphold the lesson Po had taught us previously. But soon the boredom of simply entertaining crowds wasn't enough for the other girls, and they abandoned me shortly after save for the twins who decided to find their own way. I myself traveled all over China trying to find a place to call home. I finally found it, but my current home is in trouble, and that's why I'm here."

"What makes you think it is in trouble?" Viper said as they arrived at the entrance to one of the many messenger's homes, though this one was somewhat famous for sending less than honorable messages...for the right price. Viper turned to Song at the door as she stopped and listened to the rest of her story.

"A massive army has threatened to destroy our city, and that's not even the worst of it. The army is led by a ruthless young woman, a scarlet lion. No one knows her true name, but everyone calls her 'The Demon of the Fountain'. It is said that she's really a ninety-year old woman, but she looks to be in her late twenties; apparently she has easy access to the Fountain of Youth. To make matters worse, everyone in her army is made up of people under the age of forty. Whenever one of her warriors turns forty, she takes them into her cabin, promising that she was going to give them a...'birthday present'. But the men that go in never come out. And her army is so massive; no one really notices the disappearances. You see in her mind, anyone older than forty is useless and should leave 'her world'. If she were just a spoiled brat with a few too many friends, then it wouldn't be such a problem. But people always underestimate her, and they always die. What she lacks in experience, she makes up for in tactitional brilliance a thousand times over. The King of my city was wise to recognize her as a threat and tried to send out messengers for help, but every time we sent any out, their bodies would be found lying up against the outer walls of the city the very next day. So, as a citizen of the city I now choose to call home, I made it my responsibility to send the message out myself. I've been traveling for weeks, running and hiding. But it will be worth it if the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior can come help." she smiled hopefully to Viper, who gave her a disappointed frown.

"Oh Song, I'm so sorry that you had to come all the way here, but right now is a horrible time. The Furious Five may be able to come, but Po can't. You see, he-", she looked up at Song again, "Wait. You said something about your city being destroyed _isn't_ the worst part?"

Song shook her head sadly. "No, it really isn't. You see, I live in the city of Kirokuyoru. It's a massive city, a wondrous place. But it holds a building, a very _important_ building that the Fountain Demon wants to destroy-The Hall of Species. A gigantic library that holds information on every living person in China. And if she destroys it and conquers China, she will be able to mold her own history in her twisted mind. In generations to come, she will have everyone convinced that she is an immortal goddess who cannot be stopped, discouraging any resistance; and her reign would last forever."

Much to her surprise, Viper's saddened face suddenly perked up, her smile now wide as she gazed at Song like she was a crystal ball showing her future. Song was now officially uncomfortable, "What's uhhhh, what's wrong? Do I have something on my face?"

"I'll make a deal with you, Song.", she said as she coiled around the snow leopard's body to examine her, "I can get you two of our best warriors guaranteed along with your freedom, if you help me put on a little show for Master Shifu and the rest of the Furious Five.", the snake's mischievous smile had returned. And if anyone had just started listening in on this conversation, they would have sworn that Song was making a deal with the devil.

"Okayyyy. I guess that's a fair offer. So you want us to dance together? I'd have to find another parasol-", the snake shook her head viciously.

"No, it's nothing like that!", she looked around to make sure no one was listening and whispered, "We're just going to have your King tell a...a little white lie."

The snow leopard's face scrunched up in confusion, "Huh?"

Viper then told Song about all of the events that had happened yesterday and this morning, from beginning to end. She didn't even leave out the part about slipping in to find Po and Tigress kissing, not knowing Song and her emotions for Po. Song's heart must have broken and shattered into dust because by the time Viper finished her tale, Song was crying again.

"I know, I know. It's a very sad situation. But the good news is, you can make it right! Plus, you'll be getting two of the best warriors in China to help with your plight!", Viper smiled in an attempt to comfort Song, but Song just wiped her tears and nodded, her face still covered in pain as Viper wrote the fake letter, rolled up the scroll, handed it to Song, and traveled back to the Jade Palace with her.

She hated the fact that Po had moved on, that he had fallen in love with another woman. But she certainly couldn't blame him; she wasn't around to tell him how she really felt. And if Tigress made him happy, then she would do her best to stand aside and not interfere. But this was going to be the single most painful, most brutal thing she would ever have to accomplish. She would have to guide the two warriors, the two _lovers_, back to her city. It would take them a couple of weeks to travel there, and every day would be a living nightmare. But she had to admit. Po and Tigress were singlehandedly the two best fighters in China if not the world, and she wasn't about to weaken her home's defenses even more so because of her romantic indulgences.

_Meanwhile with Tigress_

Tigress was still fuming as she ran from the barracks towards the Hall of Heroes where her master would be sitting with his _oh-so-wise-am-I_ walking stick, which in her current thinking would have been better off buried as a memorial to Oogway rather than wasted in the hands of the old bastard that was now in charge of the Jade Palace.

Apparently her thoughts were easy to read, for one of the males of the Five, with all three sitting in the Arena, had exclaimed an "Oh, snap!". Particularly a certain bug said this as a discussion continued on between the three about their panda friend's treasonous actions. The conversation went along the lines of:

"How could he? He's always been such an amazing guy!", asked a primate.

"Well if someone you love is around you long enough and you don't have the balls to admit your feelings, I guess this is what ends up happening.", stated the avian.

"Do you think that there's anything we can do to help? Should we ask him about it?", asked the bug.

"Nah, we'll have plenty of time while we're training him. Besides, Shifu's still pretty pissed. Anything we say now would just make him angrier.", said Crane.

"I wonder who'll get his room?", mumbled Monkey with the scratching of his chin.

"I call dibs!", yelled Mantis.

"You guys are morons..."

Tigress stopped at the doors to the Sacred Hall of Warriors, or as many called it the Hall of Heroes, and tried her best to calm herself before entering. She steadied her breath and made her face emotionless as she opened the massive doors, not bothering to close them. One of the first things she had learned from this...this...monster, was to always hide your thoughts from your opponent. Another was to do your best to confuse your enemy, thereby uprooting their defenses and leaving them vulnerable to attack. These strategies had worked well for her in the past in battle, they were going to work now in this emotional struggle. She stomped into the building towards Shifu, who was sitting on top of Oogway's staff and doing his best to meditate. Once the tiger came closer, Shifu opened his eyes. He turned his head to look at her and hopped off before smiling a little to his daughter.

"Hello Tigress, are you alright? I know this must be traum-"

"Hello, _Master_. I have some questions for you if you do not mind." she gave a halfhearted bow as she stood before him.

He blinked for a moment. Obviously she was in no mood to talk about herself, "Alright, Master Tigress. Ask your questions."

"Was all of that really necessary? He did not violate me, I am still a virgin and I am still pure. You were too harsh."

"Tigress I realize your feelings for him may conflict your judgment, but I stand by my decision."

"You banished him! Keeping us apart for six months, he will _truly_ get over me with this in place." she had crossed her arms over her chest and lowered her eyes into slits.

Shifu's ear twitched at her obvious plan to show him disrespect, "Tigress. You are not thinking clearly, your emoti-"

"_You_ are the one not thinking clearly, _old_ _man_!" her body had tensed up as she clenched her fists and spoke the last two words with gritted and bared fangs.

"_Tigress_! You will address me as _master_! What has gotten into you!"

"What has gotten into _me_? What has gotten into _you_! You speak of my feelings for him; you obviously know of my love for him, so _why_?" her voice wavered as she held back tears. By now, their yelling had earned the audience of Crane, Mantis, and Monkey, who were just outside the door out of view as they listened worriedly, too scared to even think of interfering.

Shifu was taken aback for a moment before furrowing his brow, "I-I was just trying to be a good father!"

"_YOU HAVE NOT GIVEN A DAMN ABOUT ME SINCE THE DAY I WAS ADOPTED, WHY START NOW_?" Tigress' voice was cracked and by now she was crying freely.

Shifu gasped on the inside from her outburst, his heart wrenching from his chest to get out of the way from this barrage. He breathed heavily as his emotions were running rampant in his mind, but he did not speak.

"Have you even asked Master Oogway about your _great judgment_? I know that you have been able to speak with him in the past, so why did not you do it now?", asked the striped feline in a low growl.

The red panda was still silent, his head bowed. Tigress walked up to her former master, knelt down and grabbed him by the collar as she spoke through her fangs again; this time mustering up as much venom in her voice as she could. Her voice was now as cold as the gates of Chorrh Gohm Prison, "You will take _my_ advice now. Tell Oogway what you have done. Then ask him what you _should _have done. Then ask him what to do now. Then _do_ it. You have not come _close_ to compare yourself to his wise mind and kind heart, so why should you trust your own judgment, and furthermore why should I?"

"I am finished with you. You are no longer my master. I am leaving with Po. Send me a letter when you have learnt to pass judgment after thinking more clearly." Tigress then released his collar, stood up, and marched out of the Hall of Heroes only to stop in the doorway and turn around to bask in the shadow she cast that covered Shifu in the golden floor reflecting off the day at hand.

"See you in hell, father."


	5. Chapter 5: Highs And Lows Part 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I have returned. Yes, it has been a while. My absence was in part because of my training day in and day out. One of you knows why, and I thank him for respecting my privacy in this matter. The other part no one knows about. I have had severe family troubles, the most notable of which being a family member suing another family member. If you ask for more details, I will tell you in private messages. But my business is my own and I do not want the entire world to know. That being said, in my absence I have also taken the time to reexamine my actions and the consequences of those actions. I may never truly trust anyone, but that is no excuse for becoming overly critical. Though some may have deserved it, I know of a few who did not. One in particular asked me if I was a Christian. And I said that it was none of his business. This was wrong on my part. Yes, I am a Christian/Buddhist; Christian faith with a Buddhist lifestyle. I will also add a few things about myself in part of this apology, for many that I have lashed out at simply wished to know more about me. I am twenty three years old. I live in Tennessee, but I was not born here and do not have a Southern drawl. I plan on leaving as soon as financially possible for California to study Filmmaking at New York Film Academy- Hollywood chapter. An obvious fact most should know is that I am a filmmaker, no matter how much fame I lack. The description of my Original Character, Koru Oken, is an accurate description of myself by height, body style, and personality. Even the situation with Yunwei before the group left the Fubuki Mountains was true to a point. And lastly I will reveal that I am a Kung Fu practitioner who studies Hung Kuen, also known as Hung Ga, Hung Gar, or Tiger Style Kung Fu and pray to find a Shifu to teach me in Hollywood. Finally to end this little rant, I will finish by saying that the final part of this apology is particularly for my readers, if any of you are still out there. I will be releasing an update for most of the stories I have this day. Please enjoy and review if you wish. But above all…show respect for the authors you read of, if they are worth their salt.**

Chapter 5: Highs and Lows Part 1

As the tiger rushed about the Palace she knew so well, her eyes sparkled with the unfamiliar moisture she had continuously ignored throughout most of her childhood. And then she remembered; no not remembereded_, tried constantly to forget; the harsh treatment she received in Shifu's care. Her flesh would always bleed, and her mind would stay on the single goal of Kung Fu mastery no matter what she attempted to show interest in. And alas, Shifu's strict teachings would be forever burned within her mind. But was it so wrong a thing for a child to seek out a compliment once in a lifetime instead of the cane of criticism? How she forever longed for a gentle touch from the closest thing she knew to a parent. But that time was over, they both knew it now. Tigress was an adult with her own life to live. In retrospect her lashing out against the red panda was a disrespectful and shameful decision, no matter what the old haggard did to her. But was this feeling of shame of her own recognition of guilt or Shifu's over-disciplinary mannerisms? No matter, what was done was done. Shifu had attempted to break apart the most affectionate bond she had ever experienced. It may have only been a six month period, but even the dullards amongst the Chinese citizens knew that the one thing Grandmaster Shifu of the Jade Palace was not, was a forgiving master. If Tigress and Po gave in to the monster's demands, there would be no possibility of them ending up together. So it was simple. Tigress had to do it. Before her heart could make another single fast rhythmic thump, she would have made her choice again and again. To be with Shifu and keep the glory that was Leader of the Furious Five? Or to become an outcast with the only person in this life she truly loved? Of course it would be the latter every time.

Tigress stepped into the hall of familiar rooms, and with each step she felt more empowered; confident in her decision, happier with every thought piercing her mind of the coming days, and excited in anticipation at her new mate's reaction to the bright future ahead. As the feline came closer and closer to the open doors of the Dragon Warrior's room, she breathed in an air of confidence and calmness. And for one of the few times in her life so far, Tigress put a genuine smile across her face in advancement of her arrival.

She entered the room where Po had just finished packing his things. He was currently sitting on his bed in waiting with the travel pack his father gave him a few months prior, and his head was bowed solemnly. With this sight before her, Tigress' smile only widened. The panda had wished to see her one last time before his departure, and was willing to face Shifu's anger just for this last encounter. But little did he know that the silent tiger that had just arrived partook in other plans within her mind. Being the panda he was, Po had not heard Tigress arrive. But being the Dragon Warrior he was, Po soon sensed the presence of the Leader of the Furious Five in his midst; he looked up from his ever important feet to see her in his doorway. And when he saw her smile, his face could not help but redden and stretch; for her expression made him smile as well and blush in return of her affectionate gaze. Oh how he loved her smile; it was worth every dumpling in the world. But soon his smile deteriorated in sensing her emotions passed. Po rose from his bed and looked upon her deep in thought. As the panda approached her, he could not help but investigate Tigress' ruffled cheeks. Her tears had dried, yet the fur below her eyes were evidence of her previous "emotional slip up".

"Hey. Listen I know it'll be a while before we see each other again, but…" the bear shut his eyes and thought about his next words carefully. Part of his mind begged him to say the words he wished to say. The other half restrained the former. He was so close to saying those words. But this was risky; he knew if he said them, her emotions could go either way. On one end, he may scare her off. Such an extreme commitment that could not be taken back might be too much for someone with such little experience in this feeling, not that Po was such a romantic himself. On the other end, their emotions could be only concreted. They would be bonded in invisible strings that would ever connect them in this trying time away from each other. But either way, he had to tell her the truth. Po had to tell her how he really, truly felt about her. The raw power of emotion that burned within him every second he placed his eyes on her beauty, and every sound his ears were blessed with from her voice sometimes made him wonder if these past couple of years were all just a dream of heaven. But soon Po snapped out of his thoughts. He had stood silent like an idiot for over half a minute now. If not for Tigress' wonderful scent that he had become familiar with, he might have guessed her to be gone. But once his eyes opened, he was happy to have confirmation of her stay; her scarlet eyes glowing dimly, and her rare smile still present yet faded from his issue to speak.

His silence had begun to worry the feline. And though she would not show it to most, Tigress gave the Dragon Warrior her trust. She placed her right paw over his cheek and pressed their lips together to perhaps comfort him and aid his attempt at finishing his sentence. Her scarlet eyes locked with his jade, and they stared at one another. Before the panda could continue his sentence, Tigress could not help but ask in the silence that had interrupted the conversation.

"What is it? Finish your thought so that I may begin mine." she softly said with an accompanying laugh under her breath. And yet she handled her expression of lighthearted attempts with her worrisome thoughts. Was he regretting their unspoken confessions? Or did he fear being away from her would cause his feelings to fade?

Po's lips, which had temporarily quivered from the touch of the tiger's, had widened again in a smile. It would take him some time to get used to being so tender with someone, but hopefully he would be able to better adjust his thinking after this period of time. He shook his head while keeping his eyes on her own with his smile present.

"It's okay, I'll tell ya later. We'll see each other again soon. I promise.", he said.

"Would you like to place a wager on this, Dragon Warrior?" asked Tigress with a now exposed fang in her gentle smile to show that she was joking to a degree.

"What do you mean?" he asked in return with a chuckle, but in thought of her facial features, Po began to put the pieces together. "Wait, wait…you haven't been banished too, have you? I mean, I could hear the yelling…"

"No, but you are getting close to the answer." replied Tigress in her smile as she turned and walked towards her own room while keeping a piercing gaze on him over her shoulder.

The panda could only watch her with a face of confusion. Once the tiger opened the doors to her room and gathered her things to organize them, Po…well, Po was suffice to say dumbfounded.

First he blinked.

Then he blinked again.

And again.

Afterwards, the panda walked across the hall only to stop in Tigress' doorway.

"So….what's going on?" he asked cautiously, his fingers fiddling with the straps of his pack.

Tigress, who had her back to the Dragon Warrior, leaned on the chest she had sat on top of her cot and sighed; she inwardly smiled at the panda's lack of insight, yet it was his innocence that partially attracted her to him. The female turned to the male and crossed her arms.

"Well, you were correct; you did hear yelling, it was Shifu and I arguing." she stated and watched him to gauge his reaction.

"So you…you actually yelled at him?" Po asked quietly and faltered his gaze, as if Master Shifu were right behind him. What she did not expect was what came next. The panda locked eyes with her once again, but now he looked angry "Is this because of me? Because look I want to be with you more than you'll ever know, but I don't want you getting in trouble!"

"I am a grown woman, Po." she said calmly, yet sternly. She did not avert his gaze, yet looked away from him to look at the desk to her left that she had in her room. It was covered in used up lesson scrolls that had not been touched in years; and she nodded her words slowly "I said some things that had been screaming inside my head for a long time. They were things that needed to be said; but I never had reason to say them before today."

"What do you mean?" asked the bear before he could stop himself; his ear twitching with curiosity and greed for more information.

Tigress did not turn her head, but her eyes trailed back to him. She showed him another smile, then closed her eyes and straightened her neck. She then opened them to reestablish their eye contact "I had no reason to live outside of Kung Fu and pleasing that man. But he will never be satisfied with what I do, I always knew this on some level; and now I have a reason to live outside of Kung Fu." she took a step towards him; her arms were still crossed, but Tigress presented a look of gentle intent "It is to be with you."

Po's cheeks flushed red at the words she spoke; his heart beat turned irregular and speedy, and soon his throat played host to a great lump that formed.

"B-but what will the rest of the Five do? You're basically the leader; you're the heart and soul of the team!" said Po ecstatically as his fan-boy mode momentarily crept into effect.

"Po, the others do not need me. I may be very skilled, but so are they. Crane will take my place as the proverbial leader; he is just as knowledgeable as I am and has the speed to boot. Monkey is even faster than he. Mantis can handle his own. And Viper would never allow the group to go soft."

Po placed his paws on Tigress' shoulders and sighed through his nostrils.

"If this is what you want. What you really want. Then Ti, I'm one lucky S.O.B." he said as the two shared a smile. Tigress uncrossed her arms and allowed the bear to pull her into a hug; with such contact, the feline purred and tightened her grip on her male.

But with recent events, they now looked at their surroundings with foreign eyes; for they were now outsiders in this place. Now they needed a home, but before even this they needed to leave. And so the two broke the warming hug and began to make short work of Tigress' belongings. After almost half an hour of organizing, packing, and repacking whatever Po packed, the panda started to find himself wondering how his girlfriend kept her old room so clean with all of this stuff.

At this thought, Po bit his lip to keep his smile from widening and circling around his head. A girlfriend. Ha. Po the Panda had a girlfriend. What would the guys from down in the Valley think of him now?

He quickly shook his head, and his smile disappeared. Even toying with the notion of acting in such a way made his blood boil. Tigress was not some trophy to him. She might be the greatest woman in the history of forever in his mind, but he would never "show her off". Finally finished with packing, as well as wrapping up the disturbing thought that had slipped into his fuzzy head, Po strapped a great many things to his own backpack and heaved a grunt to lift it. When he managed to pick it up, the panda almost fell backwards only to be steadied by the paw of the smirking tiger behind him who carried the majority of her things in a pack not much smaller than Po's.

"Come now, Dragon Warrior…" said Tigress as she passed the panda and led the way down the hall "we cannot have your amazing strength kept hidden like it always has."

Po only laughed heartily at her comment and followed the orange and black striped creature out of the Barracks. But what came next would be an encounter neither was prepared for.

As both the panda and tiger stepped out of the Barracks, they swiftly marched onward across the courtyard on the way to the Arena. When the steps were traversed from grassy courtyard to stony floor, the two stopped as soon as three shadows swung over them in a haze. The figures landed before the couple with readied positions to defy any passage and protect with lethal defense.

"Tigress, you aren't thinking clearly right now. Please sleep on this decision before you leave. You know you'll regret it if you don't." Crane stated decisively.

"Do not tell me what I will and will not regret, Crane!" hissed Tigress.

"But Po basically raped you! Shouldn't you be beating the living shi-", Mantis was immediately interrupted in the middle of his sentence when Monkey covered the bug's mouth with a finger.

"What he means is; if this is how Po is going to act, he should not be a friend to you, nor to any of us anymore." said the primate that looked upon the panda with cold eyes of shame.

Po bit his lip once again and shut his eyes. Such a thing to be said from someone he considered to be his brother truly hurt him to his core. Even if Monkey was misinformed, Po cared about his opinion. And until a time came when explanations could be given and heard, Monkey, nay the rest of the Five would think him a pervert and degenerate.

In noticing her male's expression of angst, Tigress clenched her fangs tightly together and refocused her glare towards the three; no one would ever make him feel such pain ever again unless they wished to deal with her.

"I warn you now, for the sake of our past ventures together; back away." she said looking from Monkey to Mantis, "stay away." she turned from Mantis to Crane, "And have the decency to trust in your leader's wisdom until a proper explanation can be given."

Crane's eyes narrowed at the feline's. His yellow irises studied hers for any sign of a joke or jest. But there was none.

Tigress grabbed Po by the paw and led him passed the three towards the door. Monkey and Mantis turned around to follow, but Crane outstretched his right wing to stop them.

"No. Let's wait this out. Come on, Master might need some help." said the pensive bird. The other two males looked at each other as Crane walked towards the steps that led to the Sacred Hall of Warriors.

As Tigress lifted her free paw in their approaching of the door, they both stopped walking when the door opened from the other side. Tigress growled again at the sight of the approaching pair and clenched Po's paw in a tighter embrace. Aside from Shifu, Tigress was the only one who knew what had happened between Po and Song. And although her lovable panda hadn't pieced it together himself, Tigress figured out what Song had tried to accomplish by flirting with Po, and how the leopard most likely felt after the betrayal of her precious Ladies of Shade. For the next few days after telling her the story, Po had the unfortunate role of being at the receiving end of Tigress' death glare, which confused him to no end.

"What conceivable reason could you ever have for coming here?" hissed Tigress at the other feline in almost certain hatred; the tiger turned her gaze to the only sister she knew and spoke in an only slightly less critical tone as before "What did you do?"

Before Viper could immediately reply the rehearsed speech to explain Song's presence, the snake's thoughts were interrupted at the sight of her sibling's bags; and her azure eyes widened greatly in vague realization "_Me_? What did _you_ do?"

The panda that was rather used to speaking his overly enthusiastic mind finally recovered from the harsh tones of the males of the Five and summoned enough courage to mumble an opinion "Well Tigress kinda yelled at Shifu cus he's kicking me out, and now she's coming with me…"

"No no no no no no! Are you serious!" Viper started to panic, which was a very out of place feeling for the reptile in any case; in continuing, her voice began to break "I could barely handle Po leaving if he did. But how could I lose my sister on the same day?"

Tigress knelt before the snake and took her by the end of her tail in a consoling gesture. She did not smile from the presence of Song, and felt momentarily paranoid when she had let go of her precious panda's paw. Tigress allowed an emotion to show for Viper that not many in this world had experienced; her sympathy.

"It will be alright, Viper. This is merely a temporary setback. If you wish to see us, you may do so at any time down at Mister Ping's home." from this, Tigress let go of Viper's tail and regained a grip on Po's paw; her face hardened when turning her gaze from Viper to Song "And you may feel free to stay away. Come on, Po." stated Tigress with a gentle tug to emphasize that they were leaving.

Po glanced in between tiger and leopard with apparent confusion before complying and following the tiger down the steps. What grudge did Tigress hold with Song? "I get the feeling that something deeper's going on that I don't know about."

"I will explain later, Po." said Tigress softly while not looking away from the steps she travelled. Po on the other hand continued to look back again and again. The first was understandable from Viper's most misunderstanding dialogue that neither could comprehend, but understood this to be a comment of some sort directed to them. The second was understandable as well, for Po had longed for the Jade Palace since he was a cub. Tigress knew this, everyone did. The third was irritating, yet again understandable; Po was a fanboy of Kung Fu, and leaving the epitome of Kung Fu for someone like him would be hard to really accept. The fourth clenched it for Tigress to step in so to speak. So with a firmer but caring grip to Po's appendage and a tail twitching from the aforementioned's annoying trait, Tigress attempted to keep the Dragon Warrior on the path ahead.

"Focus, Po. We must not fall down these steps. Not only would it be painful, nay humiliating, but all of our possessions would fall with us; they would lay scattered along the side of the mountain where anyone could take them. Could you imagine the amount of citizens that would wish to get ahold of our property? It would be a frenzy!" she said with an amused voice.

Po turned his sights to the feline before him and focused as requested on the path ahead. He chuckled from the idea and honestly such a "frenzy" would be a welcome thought with so many people fighting for his valuables "Yeah, I guess you're right."

They continued walking in silence for a few minutes, each reflecting on the choices they made and wondering what would happen next. Tigress was currently wondering how Shifu was recovering from their argument and where she and Po stood in their relationship. Po was currently wondering when he would say what he really wished to say to Tigress and if they would ever return to the Palace, given the conditions of their leave. At this point, Po started thinking more and more on this. And a thought continued to intrude his peaceful thoughts. A possibility he hadn't thought of before now.

"Hey Tigress?" he asked softly.

"Hm?" she quietly grunted, keeping mostly to her own thoughts but still giving him the attention she wished to give.

"Do you ever remember…I dunno, studying a Grandmaster's responsibilities when you were a kid?"

"Of course; why do you ask?" she asked with her thoughts less on her own ideas.

"Is it true that we might never come back if Shifu doesn't want us back?" asked Po solumnly.

Tigress gave in to the sigh she had been holding back; she nodded her head only a little while they continued their walk, and now her thoughts were completely out of her own mind and into his when she realized what he was thinking.

"Yes, it is very possible. If Shifu sees us as a threat to his teaching standards, or decides that we bring anarchists ideas to the other students, he may extend the banishment by six more months as many times as he wishes. But if he dies, we may come back after the final extension of his banishment. Only the Royal Family has the ability to banish someone beyond their own lifespan."

"Wow." exclaimed Po under his breath. Another silence grew between them, until Po yet again recognized another target to their problems. He did not speak his thoughts immediately, but spoke as soon as they could finally see the bottom of the Thousand Steps "So, uh….any idea where we'll be living after this? I mean, are we gonna stay in the Valley of Peace, er…?"

The striped feline stopped in her tracks, luckily keeping stiff to make sure she didn't fall when Po bumped into her. She hadn't thought of that. She knew that they would live in Po's father's shop for a while, but they couldn't stay there forever. In her heat and anger, and the strategizing that she had calculated in her head to psychologically destroy Shifu, she had completely forgotten about their new home, and more importantly where it would be.

"I…do not know. Do you have any ideas?" the puzzled feline leaned back against the chest behind her and purred in affection from the arms snaking around her waist.

"Nope.", Po said softly with a smile, "But I'm sure we'll figure something out." he kissed the spot behind her left ear and walked past her down the last remaining hundred steps, leaving her to shiver before shaking her head to snap herself back to reality and run to him to catch up. Once she came to his side, he laced their fingers together, putting another rare smile on her face.

They walked to the familiar restaurant named Dragon Warrior Noodles and Tofu, walking through the crowds of the village and past all the prying eyes of the spectators who whispered and giggled at the two. However, the noodle shop itself was all but empty, except for an old goofy goose who was serving the last of his customers from the lunch rush. Mr. Ping was so busy cleaning up the table after the family of bunnies left that he hadn't noticed the two warriors walk in; until Po spoke up.

"Dad?"

Mr. Ping almost snapped his neck as he spun around to look at his son.

"Po!" he ran to his fluffy panda son and hugged the large mammal as tight as he could "How have you been? It's been almost a week since your last visit, and I was growing worried! Especially after that screaming coming from the Jade Palace earlier." he muttered, which didn't go unnoticed by either of them.

"Oh, you heard about that, huh?" Po said while scratching the back of his head with an awkward smirk. "Well dad, that was kind of the reason we needed to talk to you."

"'We'?", he then looked at his son, then at Tigress, then their intertwined paws, then back to his son again. He repeated this process for almost a minute. The awkward silence was unbearable, but thankfully Mr. Ping finally spoke up after the longest minute of the couple's lives "Ohohoho! My boy is finally all grown up! First you move out of the house, and then suddenly out of nowhere you take a mate!"

This last statement caused Po to blush and Tigress to vividly smirk; Tigress' fur however kept any awkward feelings from being shown.

"You enjoy embarrassing me to no end, don't you dad?" asked the son.

"Oh, definitely! I've got a whole list of embarrassing things I had planned to say when you chose a mate. Including this one!" the goose laughed, causing Po and Tigress to laugh as well. When the laughter died down, Po looked at his dad, who hadn't retracted his statement.

"Wait, you're serious? Ughhh!" Po face palmed while Tigress chuckled quietly at this unfamiliar but welcome exchange between child and parent.

Mr. Ping had finally noticed the backpacks and the enormous amount of possessions they were carrying. His short stature was blocking his view when they first came in, but he noticed when his son lowered his head in embarrassment; his face saddened.

"Oh Po, don't tell me that you're going on another trip! You just got back! How long will you be gone this time?"

Po looked at Tigress, who gave Po a smile and a nod of approval as she kept ahold of his paw.

"Well dad, the thing is..." said Po, who then looked behind them to see a small crowd of people just outside of the shop trying to listen in to the basis for some very juicy gossip. Turning back to his father, the panda sighed silently "Mind if we talk inside?"

"Of course, of course; come in!" the goose shut the front doors to discourage any gossipers and onlookers, then led the couple into the kitchen where they set their bags down beside the stairs; Po sat beside the stove as he was the tallest. Tigress, who was nervous about showing her affection for Po in front of another person not to mention his father, hesitantly sat in Po's lap, but sat upright to show respect for the man that allowed her in his home. Mr. Ping smiled at the two and patted Tigress' knee before pulling up a small bag of rice and sitting down "Now tell me what is going on. Are you leaving?"

"Kinda, but not exactly." Po said, he then explained every gory detail, Tigress flinching slightly and looking down as he spoke about her and Shifu's argument. The goose looked quite unamused at the explanation, and soon stood up to show that he spoke seriously; a feat which was hard to do for the elderly bird that everyone loved.

"First, I wish to express my greatest joy that you two have found each other. You have my blessings if you sought it. Secondly..."he picked up an iron skillet and smacked them both in the top of their heads gently. But even gently, it hurt as the each yelped and rubbed their heads, looking at him with confused expressions. "I want to say how very stupid your decisions have been these past two days! Shifu had no right to punish you like this son, but you both acted too rashly!", he sighed and set the skillet down, then looking up at them both, he said with a smile, "And lastly, you may stay for as long as you need to; additionally Tigress, I want you to know that I now consider you my child. And you may call me father if you wish."

Po beamed at his father and pulled the old man into a hug; Tigress was shocked from such a gentle reaction from the goose, but soon recovered and joined in the hug with her new mate and his father. But it soon ended once Mr. Ping noticed the light of the sky turning a little dimmer, and the three broke the hug.

"Now Po, why don't the two of you get settled in your old room; but I warn you, no hanky panky tonight! " he wagged a feathered finger at them "I'm too young to be a grandfather!"

Tigress, who was in the process of getting up from Po's lap, slipped and yelped as she fell back onto Po; causing him to fall back in the chair and land flat on his back with a great 'SLAM' that shook the ground. Po groaned and sat up after Tigress got off of him with both of their faces having turned a dark shade of red; even Tigress' was noticeable to an extent.

"Dad?" said Po, rubbing his now aching back with one paw while holding his other paw out to his father.

"Yes son?"

"Gimme the list before I die of a heart attack."

"Oh I'm sorry son, but this game is just too much fun!" he laughed heartily as he started chopping vegetables to get ready for the dinner rush that would inevitably come. Po face palmed again and stood up with a sigh before picking up his backpack and carrying it upstairs, with Tigress right behind him with her own bag.

That night, the two had the most restful sleep they ever had. But unbeknownst to them, a figure was watching them from the rooftops of the neighboring building. It's tail swayed in frustration, it's position crouched; like it was ready to attack the two lovers at any moment. As the sun began to creep over the horizon, the figure dashed from rooftop to rooftop before running up the steps to the Jade Palace. As the figure reached the top of the steps, it panted as it opened the doors ever so slightly, where a certain tree snake had been sitting in front of waiting impatiently.

"Well?" said Viper. "Did you give them the message? Please tell me you at least left it there!"

Song was catching her breath and she shook her head before she spoke, though her voice was still shaky.

"I couldn't d-do it. They're so happy...tell me again why you, Mantis, Monkey and Crane just can't come with me?"

Viper looked aggravated, much like earlier today, as she kept the urge to yell at the feline from being revealed, though she replied in a screaming whisper.

"_Because__ someone has to stay here to protect the Palace and Valley, and Master Shifu is in no state to guard it himself!_" Viper sighed. She was trying to be sympathetic to Song since Song told her about what all had happened between her and Po, but Song wasn't making it easy. They were running out of time, and this was the eighth time that Viper had sent Song down to the Valley in an attempt to give Po and Tigress the fake letter. Each time Song had come close to the noodle shop, she froze, and couldn't move unless it was to step back or hide. And every time she actually had the nerve to get close enough to the couple, who seemed annoyingly inseparable, she had to stay in a spot where they couldn't see her.

This was the last straw for Viper, who swiped the message from Song's satchel and glared at her, her voice showed her impatience, but she spoke softly as if she was talking to a child who just refused to go to school where an awaiting bully attended _"Fine__! Be that way! But you listen here, first thing in the morning; you and I BOTH will be going down to the Valley to speak to them. I'll do all the talking. But YOU will be the one to hand the message to them! Is that clear?_" she wagged the scroll that was in her clutches much like Mr. Ping had gestured yesterday afternoon. Song nodded in defeat and walked to the barracks to get what little sleep she could. Viper sighed and followed the snow leopard as she slithered to her own room and curled up in her bed uneasily. The scroll never leaving her sight until her eyes were forced shut.


	6. Chapter 6: Highs And Lows Part 2

Chapter 6: Highs And Lows Part 2

"NO!" yelled Po from upstairs this bright and sunny morning. Tigress allowed herself the satisfaction of a tiny smirk from how successful her attempts to make her new boyfriend more nervous than she'd ever seen him, and for Po that was saying something. She had attempted to seduce the bear by making suggestive remarks to their oddly tangled position when they awoke that morning, and the poor guy had just been caught in his aroused state by the man that raised him. The tiger almost laughed under her breath if not for the few morning customers sitting in the restaurant outside waiting and the elderly goose now entering the kitchen from the stairs who was currently putting on his signature ball of yarn hat made to look like a bowl of noodles. When noticing the tiger, Mr. Ping gave her a small polite bow.

"Good morning, Tigress." he said before passing her ; she sat a foot or so away from the stairs at a small table he had set up in the kitchen to accommodate the level of privacy she was used to when eating "I trust you slept well." the goose walked out of the kitchen through the back entrance before she could immediately answer.

"Yes I did, thank you Mr. Ping." replied Tigress in a raised voice so that the old goose could hear her from the alley. Mr. Ping returned seconds later carrying a crateful of bok choy and laughing in his own soft way.

"Oh, stop that! I told you that you can call me father! And I may be old young lady, but if I can hear the orders from the timid young bunnies that come in here every day from the other end of the restaurant, I can certainly hear you speak to me from the kitchen to the alley." said the goose that continued to waddle in and out of the kitchen bringing in more of his daily supply of vegetables at a youthful pace. Tigress debated offering Mr. Ping some help with carrying the crates, but given his attitude towards her risen speech, she was reluctant.

"My apologies, Mr. Ping, and I do not mean to be insensitive; but the only parental figure that I have ever known has been acting very strangely, and until he has stopped this foolishness and we can reconcile I cannot feed my heart any emotion of the sort" she said with her paws in her lap and her head directed towards the floor.

"Might I ask you something then, _Master_ Tigress?" spoke the goose while chopping up his vegetables at an amazing speed, not even looking at her as he did so "Are you aware of how many girls have come into my son's life?"

Tigress then flew her ears up and raised her head to eye the goose; she felt a sting in the back of her heart at this subject and prayed silently about his answer to his own question. Her silence was all Mr. Ping needed to hear, so he continued.

"He was never very popular with the ladies, Master Tigress. But I did get a few offers from other parents to arrange marriages."

"T-to their daughters?" asked Tigress, who now had a small lump in her throat in fear that she was currently treading on some deal made long ago.

"No to their sons-of course their daughters, now let me finish this story!" snapped the goose that flung the dull edge of his knife across the cutting board to fling the chopped vegetables into the large pot beside the counter.

"I am sorry, please continue."

"Thank you." the old man of the restaurant briefly cleared his throat "When Po was a boy he was seen as an opportunity for good fortune because of the rarity of his species, as if he might be some kind of royalty someday; and he was bullied quite a lot for it. It may have been seen as generally superficial at the time but when the other boys bullied him, in time the public figured out why. Though his natural husky size was no help, Po was bullied because of his social position; the other boys were jealous."

"How did he ever react when you told him?" asked the surprised tiger.

"Oh he never found out." chuckled Mr. Ping quietly while fiddling with a towel after drying his feathered fingers off from the residue of the broth's steam. He turned to face Tigress, but kept his head lowered "But then again, I never made any deals. So telling him would only have worried him for nothing."

"Then why even allow people to think-"

"The point of this story, Master Tigress, is that Po would have had many choices if not for me. But he didn't; because I did not see them worthy enough to be with my son and I could not hear myself calling them my daughter." the goose looked up at the tiger with a hint of joyful sorrow in his eyes and a calm smile placed on his beak "But you are more than worthy to be with my son and be called my daughter."

Tigress felt her breath hitch at this, and as she stood she performed a low bow to the goose with her fist in palm "Then I accept the title with humble gratitude." suddenly her bow was interrupted by Mr. Ping's wing swatting her paws downward before he embraced her in a hug.

"You have got to learn to not be so formal if you are going to be in the Ping family, Tigress." laughed the bird while still hugging her. Tigress hesitated only for a moment after this, but still brought her arms around the goose and felt a small wave of a smile spread over her face.

_Somewhere Outside the Village_

Meanwhile, at the cliff overlooking the village below stood five very tired, very angry soldiers; the apparent leader was an ox that held in his black as night hoof a long spear with very inky black tassels hanging from the high end. At his right stood a rhino with a crossbow slung over his shoulder. On his left stood a ram clinging to two extremely sharp hatchets and a spider monkey that held no obvious weapons on him. Perched on the ox's right horn was a crow with talons clad in metal almost exactly like the ones Shen wore. All five wore light green robes.

"Alright, maggots; this bitch couldn't have gotten too far." panted the ox "Her tracks end here; now let's finish this."

_The Top of the Thousand Steps_

Viper was having a very aggravating time trying to get Song down the steps. She pulled at the feline's wrist with all her might, but Song was surprisingly strong for her size. Viper tried to trip her, but Song simply stood in a statue stance to keep herself grounded. The leopard didn't say anything. She just stood at the top step of the Palace stairs, staring down at the village with sharp, quick breaths. Viper let out an exasperated sigh almost like a growl and glared up at her, pointing to the ground where Song was standing with her tail. "Stay _right_ here!"

Viper slithered away to Mantis' room. Some muffled shouting could be heard from where Song stood, but she wasn't listening anyway. She was currently focusing all of her senses on the window to the second floor of the noodle shop with her amazingly sharp feline vision; in particular the window to a certain panda's room. All of a sudden, her stiffness became more involuntary than she wanted and she tried to move, but to no avail. Viper smiled up at Song as her tongue flicked out of her mouth a couple of times in satisfaction.

"Thank you, Mantis!" she said sweetly as the bug hopped from Song's shoulder and landed beside the snake.

"No problem, toots!" he turned to hop away, but was slapped in the back of the head by Viper's tail. He rubbed the back of his head as he hopped away grumbling, though he could hear Viper's giggle, which fed his already massive ego so that he hopped even higher than before.

Viper then sighed. "I didn't want to have to do this Song, but you made me.", Viper then pulled the rigid leopard onto her stomach just as Song could see a certain tiger performing a rather lewd action before the panda in the room she was staring at. Song let out a fierce growl, but Viper ignored it as she dragged the stubborn Song down the steps, tempted to just ride her down like a toboggan.

An hour later, she reached the bottom of the steps, panting. She looked at Song and grimaced; thinking maybe that it would have been a good idea to put some padding around Song's face before dragging her down all those steps. Viper sighed and propped up the scuffed up leopard before dusting her off, trying to make her look presentable. She rose up to meet Song at eye level and spoke quietly and soothingly, but with a hint of determination in her voice.

"Now then; blink once for "yes" and twice for "no". Understand?"

Song blinked twice.

The snake rolled her eyes and mumbled "Smartass." but continued to clear her throat "Now are you going to hand the message to Po and/or Tigress when we arrive at the shop?"

Song blinked once.

"Good. Are you going to run away when we get there?"

Song blinked twice.

"Goooood girl. Will you be sociable and try to make nice with Tigress and Po?"

Song blinked once.

"And by "sociable" I don't mean to slash Tigress' throat. And by "nice", I don't mean raping Po. Are we clear?"

The leopard blushed, but blinked once again.

Viper smiled in satisfaction. "Good!" she removed the needles from Song's back; to which the feline collapsed onto the ground groaning.

"Remind me to squish Mantis later." muffled Song to the hard stone street.

"I'll try, sweetie." Viper helped Song up and dusted her off again until they made their way to the noodle shop.

Once they entered, the two found that many villagers had accumulated at the many tables in the restaurant. After a minute of standing and waiting, the goose everyone loved came waddling out holding a tray filled with bowls of noodles, dumplings, and bean buns. The goose quickly spotted them, and walked as fast as he could through the crowd; serving his customers at a fast rate and by the time he reached Viper and Song, the tray was empty but the goose's face was filled with the greeting smile everyone knew.

"Master Viper! It's so good to see you!" he hugged the snake as the snake hugged him back in turn.

"It's good to see you too, Mr. Ping. May we see Po and Tigress, pl-", she was interrupted by a low growl that was coming from the darkness of the kitchen; a moment later the sound was replaced by the sight of the angry tiger. None of the villagers seemed to notice much of the exchange, for they were used to the mannerisms of the Furious Five and trusted their protectors. Though a few began exchanging silent glances for bets on who would win in a fight; Viper, Tigress, or the leopard girl.

"Somehow I imagined the impression that you would be staying away from here, Song." seethed the tiger. She then trailed her view to the snake a pulled off a silent scoff as she gracefully sidled around the many customers to meet the other three in the small clear space where no tables sat "Oh, I see; you've already replaced me, have you?" Tigress wasn't, of course, referring to her position with the Furious Five as much as she was referring to her and Viper's close relationship. And Viper knew this.

"No, sister, she could never replace you." Viper said sadly. "We just came because...well, _I_ just came because Song was too afraid to come here to give you the _message!_ She was sent here to _give you!_" Viper nudged Song's knee harshly when she emphasized her words. Song flinched and growled under her breath at the situation she was forced to deal with. She fervently walked to the tiger, shoved the scroll into the latter's paws, and spun on her heels back to Viper's side; who led the end of her tail up to Song's shoulder and patted the spot in sympathy.

Tigress unraveled the scroll, never looking away from Song with slit eyes until the scroll was completely open. As she read the scroll, her face became more of a look of shock rather than of annoyance, but it was quickly replaced by anger. The scroll read:

_"Dearest Master Tigress & The Dragon Warrior,_

_My name is King Hogonepai of Kirokuyoru City. I have sent you're, shall we say acquaintance to you to try and persuade you to come and help us. Our city is in grave danger of being destroyed by a ruthless tyrant known as "The Demon of the Fountain", and her army of youthful soldiers. I requested that the Dragon Warrior as well as yourself come and visit the city so that we may have a chance to defend ourselves. With your tactical brilliance and infamous skill in the world of Kung Fu, along with the Dragon Warrior's own natural talents, we could actually win this battle! Please come to our city where you will be treated as honored guests, and where the price for your assistance will be negotiated. Please send Grandmaster Shifu my best wishes._

_Sincerely,_

_King Teimontee Hogonepai__"_

While she read the scroll, Mr. Ping began encouraging some of the customers to leave as soon as they finished eating by giving away some old "buy two dumplings get one free" coupons. Over half of the customers were gone by the time Tigress was finished; while at the same time Po came outside to see what all the fuss was while still brushing his teeth. When Tigress sensed her lover come up behind her, she handed it to him where he began to read it silently.

"This must be a trick. Song simply wishes to lead us out into the middle of nowhere just to set up an assassination for me and make Po her mate!"

In hearing this, Po started choking on the tickling foams in his mouth with a gasp. Mr. Ping rushed into the kitchen before immediately coming back out to hand Po a glass of water, which he gratefully accepted.

Song growled this time and looked down again, giving Viper a "remember-the-deal" look.

"Tigress, it's true! The letter checks out from beginning to end, we had Crane authorize the seal!" she gave Tigress a moment to take the scroll back from Po to examine it once again before continuing. "Besides, Song has explained that this place is far away, real far. You'll be gone for months! And by then maybe Shifu will come to his senses and let you both back into the palace with open arms!" she tried to smile, but it was quickly stomped out as Tigress tossed the scroll to the ground with a scoff.

"Like I give a damn what _he_ thinks. I have a new family now. You are welcome to be a part of it, but the fact remains; Shifu is dead to me.", she turned around and started to walk back into the kitchen to finish her breakfast, but Po put his paws over her shoulders, his toothbrush now tucked in his ear.

"Tigress." he said softly, almost down to a whisper. Causing Viper to slither in closer to try and hear what the two were saying. "We have to help. If this story is true, it would be against our codes of honor to deny this. Also, where do you think this demon is going to eventually come to; and with a possibly larger army no less? Besides..." he glanced over at Viper and lowered his voice even more, but the snake could still hear every word to some extent. "This city could be our new home. Where we could start our new life together, remember?"

Tigress took a moment to reflect on his words with an impressed eye to this panda. It wasn't often when Po made sense while she denied the truth. She smiled at him and, noticing out of the corner of her eye the Song had been staring at them to try and listen in, she decided to land a big, long, sweet passionate kiss onto Po's lips, which he graciously returned while still keeping ahold of her shoulders. Song could feel her tears stinging her eyes as she silently crept to the doorway to stand and lean on the wall with her back to them; just in case she couldn't hold her tears back. Viper wasn't feeling too ecstatic either with the news that her two best friends were ready and willing to leave them forever to live in a place so far away.

After the kiss was broken, the tiger nodded once "Fine. I'm willing to take this chance if you are. But", she whispered in Po's ear so quietly that it was almost inaudible "if Song tries anything with you. A kiss, a hug, a cute glance, even a friendly handshake, I will personally beat her down with as much rage as I can muster. So if you care for her as a friend, make sure she doesn't get too close to you, okay?"

Her words sounded harsh, but her voice was soft. Tigress had finally explained to Po last night about Song's attempts with him when they first met and he agreed that it would be best for everyone if he kept his distance from her. Po nodded understandably to Tigress and sighed as he scratched the back of his head "Damn it, this is gonna be the longest, most awkward, most unnerving trip ever!"

Tigress attempted to copy his signature awkward smirk, but before she could succeed her eyes dilated from a sudden and unnerving sound. She ran to the doorway of the noodle shop, grabbed Song, flung her back behind the wall on the other side of the doorway and held her there while grabbing the leopard's arms.

Song struggled to get free, her tears still visible. "Let me go-", Tigress put her paw to Song's mouth as she looked towards the right side of the doorway, showing a small arrow imbedded in the stone. She walked over to it and pulled the arrow out, leaving a small bit of rubble on the ground as she sighed.

"Assassins; and they've got a sniper. Fan-fucking-tastic."


	7. Chapter 7: Love, To Divide And Conquer

Chapter 7: Love, To Divide And Conquer

"Everyone! To the safety of your homes! Now!" she yelled to the villagers in the streets while displaying the scene. Po guided the remaining customers out the back door through the alleyways. Tigress snapped the arrow she was holding in half and looked at Song as the villagers screamed and ran into the safety of their homes, clearing the streets "Friends of yours, I presume?"

"They've been trying to hunt me down to keep me from alerting any warriors that my city needs help, they work for the Fountain Demon." said the feline rubbing her own arm in guilt. Tigress growled in frustration. At this point, though she would have loved the idea of blaming Song for this, there was nothing they could do to have stopped the assassins from coming. The Fountain Demon's army would have eventually come here anyway. She looked around the dining area, and then looked to Po; who was standing in the kitchen doorway after confirming that the customers had left unscathed.

"Po, go get the mirror in my bag!" the panda nodded and ran back inside as Tigress knelt down beside Viper, who was still in shock from her friends' plan to leave "Viper!", Tigress said in a demanding, but not unkind tone, "Since you can slither along the corners of the buildings, I need you to sneak up to the Jade Palace and alert Monkey, Mantis and Crane of what's going on. We may need some help."

Viper had to take a minute to register what it was Tigress was saying, having not paid any attention to the fact that they were under attack "Y-...w-what? Go to the Jade Palace?"

"Viper, focus, the assassins; there's a sniper somewhere around here, and we need you to alert the others in case this assassin has a lot of friends! Po! Where's that mirror!"

Po had taken a little more time than she would have liked. She could hear muffled grunting and a commotion of glass breaking, rumbling and shifting of weight, ripping sounds and the like. But before the tiger could even react, Po returned in panting with dozens of shallow cuts all over his body; he held a mirror in one paw and a dead crow by the throat in the other. It's metal claws were dripping with blood. Both felines raced to the panda's side, but the tiger gently pushed the leopard out of the way and stood in between the two. Song swung around from this, crossed her arms and glared at the opposing wall.

"Po, what the hell happened? Who is that?" she asked while glancing at the crow still in Po's grasp; the panda shrugged in his shocked state, still panting slightly from the fight that had just ensued.

"I-I dunno! I went up to our room to get the mirror, but this guy ambushed me! I tried to pin him down, but his talons kept cutting into my wrists! I tried to knock him out, but every time I went to grab something he'd try to escape! So...I had to...kill him..." each word in that last sentence stung Po in the heart like a thousand of Mantis' acupuncture needles as tears formed in his eyes, but he blinked them away and sighed as he gently set the bird down, who would now be forever silent. Po never enjoyed the idea of killing, but little did he know that he would have to get used to the idea very soon.

"We need to get to the Jade Palace. They're obviously after us and only us." turning to the goose that had been holding a wooden tray over his head this entire time, Tigress pointed back to the kitchen while grabbing the mirror from the panda "Father, please take Po inside and bandage him up before we leave. And be careful, we don't want another ambush. Check every inch of the house." Mr. Ping nodded and led Po back inside without a word; letting Po go in first in case of anymore intruders.

Tigress looked around to see that Viper was gone; she must have left when Po returned with the crow. The striped feline sighed softly and walked over to the doorway, leaning on the left side and subtly adjusting the mirror around to see if she could find the sniper's whereabouts. Song quietly sidled up to Tigress and leaned against the wall at the edge of the arch where the doorway was.

"Tigress…I-I'm sorry about all this. If it wasn't for me, y-"

"Don't worry about it, you came for help and you were followed. Nothing you could do about it then, nothing we can do about it now." Tigress said, never looking away from the mirror as she scanned through the rooftops and distant mountains.

"No! No, I didn't mean that..." Song sighed and slid her back down the wall to sit on the ground. "I meant, if I had never have tried to trick Po into helping me and the Ladies of Shade, then tried to...seduce him...you two would probably have ended up together a long time ago."

Tigress glanced at Song, but kept scanning. "Oh? How do you figure?"

"Do you know what Po and I talked about on our day together when we first met?"

Tigress suppressed the urge to growl at this conversation. "Food? Kung Fu?"

Song laughed a bit. "Yes, we talked about that. But half the time he wouldn't stop talking about the Furious Five; mainly, _you._"

At this, Tigress took the time to give a small look in Song's direction before continuing the imperative duty fate had given her at the moment. When Tigress did not respond, Song only continued

"He kept saying things like, 'Did you know that Tigress has come up with her own signature flip?' or 'Tigress has THE coolest look when she's punching through the battle clubs!'. I kept saying things like, 'But it would never work out!', 'Two warriors living under the same roof, dating?'." she looked down and put her paws in her lap, "That's why it didn't surprise me when Master Viper told me about you and Po. It still hurts, a lot. But I know you make him happy. And..." she nodded some, as if she was committing herself to a promise, "and that's all I really want, is for him to be happy. So I want you to know...I...will not attempt to interfere."

Tigress' eyes, which were still glaring into the mirror, flashed for a moment. She then smiled only slightly and turned to the leopardess whilst crossing her arms "Po has a good friend in he, doesn't he?"

Song smiled back, sniffled a bit and wiped her tears away as she nodded and stood up. "So, have you found the sniper yet?" she said with a heavy sigh.

"Yes. Well, sort of. According to the trajectory of the arrow, there are only two hiding spots where it could have originated from. Depending on how big the sniper is, it could be either or." said Tigress with a nod of affirmation.

Song's eyes widened happily as she could finally be of some help. "I know what the sniper looks like! He's a rhino with a huge chip on his horn that he uses as a crosshair to help him aim more accurately."

Tigress looked into the mirror again to see the two hiding spots she was studying before. "Got it; he's up in the North Tower of the Temple up the mountain, behind the bell."

After putting the mirror in her pocket, Po stepped out of the kitchen, carrying two skillets and about a dozen ninja stars in his belt. Tigress stepped over to him looking slightly amused. "What's all this?" she looked at his 'utility belt' and then at him.

"Well, if we're all going to need to get to the Jade Palace for safety, we need to defend ourselves from the arrows. That's what these are for.", he patted one of the skillets, "And if we end up getting into close range with him, I can pick him off.", Po smiled, but Tigress grimaced.

"Okay. Let's go. But" the striped feline crept her set of lips against the panda's and spoke in a tone so soft as a lamb's coat "keep safe; and take no risks on your own life, alright?"

With Po's nod, she once again leaned against the doorway of the restaurant with her mirror at the ready to be used. She could see the edge of a silhouette behind the bell previously located; it looked like it could be a horn of some kind. After her own mental confirmation, she looked back to the others.

"Alright. Po, you'll go first since you are our primary defense. Father will go after that, then Song, then myself. Po, after Song leaves, you need to start your way to the front of the line and I'll guard our rear." she took one of Po's skillets from his belt and weighed it in her paws. It was light, but the iron surface would easily stand the arrowheads; the striped one then handed it over to the spotted one, who took it uneasily at first but gripped it with firm affirmation . The tiger nodded to Po, who nodded back and got into a defensive stance as he steadied his breath and got the other skillet out to shield himself with. Tigress mouthed a countdown while moving her fingers towards Po.

'Three.

Two.

One.

Now!'

At the end of the count Po tucked and rolled out into the middle of the street and put his guard up as two arrows aimed for his head where he quickly deflected them. Mr. Ping hesitantly waddled out as fast as he could towards the Thousand Steps before Song jumped behind Po, then rolled backwards to keep her front facing their attacker as she stepped backwards following Mr. Ping to protect the goose. Po glanced at Tigress after he deflected another arrow while giving her a wink, causing her to smirk as he backed away.

Tigress jumped and rolled out just like Po did, except she had to unfortunately maneuver around a couple of arrows while she was rolling. On the better end of the deal, luck played a hand as the arrows aimed at her went through the middle of the gap her body made when rolling and merely scathed her tunic. After finishing the roll she jumped up and backed away to follow Po and the others, but Po was having trouble going up the steps backward;, at one point he'd actually had to toss his skillet up into the air to deflect an arrow that was on it's way to his dad and Song, who were progressing up the steps at a very good pace. Tigress immediately jolted up the steps as fast as she could when she saw this, dodging the arrows around her before making it up to the steps in front of Song and Mr. Ping. She growled a bit as Po deflected another arrow that was on it's way towards them.

"Po! It's alright, I can shield Song and father now! Cover yourself!" but to her horror, the skillet hadn't landed in time for Po to shield himself as an arrow pierced into Po's Teres Major which was just under his arm, causing him to fall to his knees and let in a sharp breath "PO!" without even the slightest hint of hesitation, the tiger slid and jumped every single tier of stairs she could to find herself only half a moment away from the one she loved.

Once merely a few hundred steps away, she flung into the air, performed a barrel roll in catching the skillet, and used the additional weight to fall faster towards the ground. If the moment had been somehow recorded through paintings, Po would never know but always wish it had been. For when Tigress was seven feet away from the steps in front of Po, so came five arrows headed right towards them. And as quick as she was, Master Tigress would never understand how of what she did could be seen as elegant or even 'cool' when she only rolled forward in midair to kick the first arrow away, then in landing on her feet in a crouching position gently toss the skillet inches from her paw in a spin to deflect another arrow at an angle and send it to the soft lifeless ground yards away from the steps while doing something as mediocre as exposing her claws to swing her now open left paw upward and cut an arrow while it was still in it's trajectory, yet altered it's course by missing Po's head by inches when it harmlessly smacked the stone behind him. But the clincher that made Po restrain his fanatic glee as much as he could was when the feline caught the remaining two arrows in her paws, twirled them as one would tonfas and crushed the stone under the arrowheads when she brought them down in one swift motion.

She glanced at Po to see where the arrow hit him, a glint of fear in her eyes before her face softened in relief when she saw that the arrow hadn't pierced his lungs or heart. She deflected another arrow with her open palm. Po, with great effort and a grunt of pain, quickly pulled out the arrow and stood up in vain, as his chest soon felt a soft surge of pressure coming from Tigress' foot to make him fall back down.

"Stay down! We cannot risk you getting shot again!" she yelled in concern. In clenching his fists, Po glared defiantly at the most bodacious one he knew.

"What should I do then? Just sit here waiting for you to deflect every arrow until the Five get here?"

"That's EXACTLY what we're going to do!"

"Sorry, pretty kitty, but you don't have enough sand in your hourglass for that." an unfamiliar deep voice spoke from their right. They looked. It was the ox leader holding his spear with a maniacal look in his eyes. Tigress growled as Po stood up and got into a defensive stance, ignoring the searing pain in his side.

"Look buddy, I don't know who the hell you think you are, and I don't care. You do NOT threaten the girl that I love and live to tell about it!" Po said with hatred in his eyes.

Tigress' eyes grew wide as she looked at Po, her arms never lowering as she deflected the arrows with her acute hearing. She had never heard him or anyone say that about her before. She fought back happy tears, but allowed herself to smile as she turned her head forward to focus on the sniper again, now completely trusting Po with her life as he obviously trusted her with his.

The ox laughed mockingly, "Oh, the big bad Dragon Warrior has a crush. Don't worry fatso. I'll give your girlie a good time after I've killed you."

Tigress did her best to control the rage inside her; but when it failed she began to lunge at the ox in vain, for Po beat her to it. With a roar from Po like she had never heard before, the lovable panda she had fallen for grabbed the ox's spear head, jumped onto the shaft to break off the head, threw it into the ox's chest and kicked the tip deep inside his flesh while in midair from the jump before stomping into his chest with both feet and pressing two ninja stars into the ox' throat without missing a beat. Po was breathing hard, but his voice was loud and clear, as if yelling it out to the world.

"Let's get one damn thing straight! If anyone EVER talks about my girlfriend like that, I. WILL. KILL. THEM!" he jams the blades into the ox's throat a bit, causing blood to seep through. "GOT IT?!"

The ox just nodded a bit and spoke weakly, "Yes s-sir!"

"LOUDER!"

"YES SIR!"

"GOOD!" he then slit the ox's throat and stepped off of him. Tigress had stopped deflecting the arrows; partially because the arrows had stopped falling when Po attacked the ox. The other reason was to witness Po's rabid mood. No one, she was certain, had ever seen him like that. As Po stood in front of her, he looked severely guilty. But he smiled his signature grin at her with a shrug. Tigress squinted her eyes a bit to give him a stare of curiosity from this mood of his; the most peculiar element of it being the edges of his green eyes trimmed with a crimson faded trim.

Taking this into account, she decided to shrug it off mentally to congratulate the panda for his performance with a gentle kiss. But just before their lips connected, they heard a voice shout.

"LOOK OUT!"

Po spun around to see the ox throwing a ninja star in a desperate last attempt. The panda quickly shielded Tigress and shut his eyes.

But nothing happened. He knew that he was shielding Tigress, he could feel her arm in his paw. Po opened his eyes to see Crane standing before them, who had deflected the ninja star into the ox's head, making him fall to the ground in a lifeless lump.

"You two lovebirds shouldn't have flown the coop before these chickenshits started laying eggs." Crane said with a smirk, his eyes covered by his straw hat. A loud groan could be heard from the hat as Mantis popped out.

"Dude, that was _awful_! Take my advice, leave the puns to me and Monkey!" the bug then hopped off of Crane's hat and onto Po's shoulder as Monkey flipped over the four and stood in front of them "Now why don't we go kick some ass!"

"Wait, where's Viper? Is she alright? What made you change your minds about Po?" said Tigress.

"She's fine, but she got nicked by an arrow that got her in the...well, I guess you call it her upper body area. She was bleeding when she got to the top of the stairs, but the healer fixed her right up! And Viper told us what _really_ happened between you two, lover boy." said Mantis as he nudged panda's neck gently, making the panda blush and the tiger to scratch the back of her head with a hidden smile "Now, enough of this gooey shit, lets kick some assassin tail!"

"Right!" shouted Po as the group ran towards the mountain where the sniper was initially shooting from. As the Five and Po flew and ran through the streets, Tigress could not help but notice the lack of scent of blood coming from Po. Shaking this thought off, she continued on with the rest.

"_Strange….but it will be dealt with later."_

_Back at the Soldiers' camp_

"Wu Ji! We've got company!" the ram said running back to the camp. Startled, Wu Ji the spider monkey jumped up from his relaxing position.

"What about the others?!" he ask in a haste.

"They're dead except for Yong, but the bastard ran off." the ram turned back around to the cliff and growled. "They will pay dearly." the ram grunted in pain as a shuriken went through his chest, a tail immediately taking out all the money in his pockets as the ram fell to the ground and bled to death.

"I...think not. You think I'm a fool? Of course not, you ARE a fool. You ALL are...", Wu Ji grimaced and spat on the ram's body and threw his lime green gi off the cliff before walking to his almost certain death to meet the warriors.


	8. Chapter 8: Yin And Yang Now Bound

Chapter 8: Yin And Yang Now Bound

Po, Tigress and the others ran through the woods on the outskirts of the Valley of Peace with Crane leading the way in the sky in case of other incoming attackers. While they ran, Po intentionally fell back a bit from the rest of the group. Seeing the panda disappear out of the corner of her eye, Tigress slowed her pace as well and met his speed to run beside him.

"What's wrong?" she asked in a glance, but kept her line of sight on the path ahead.

Po panted slightly and kept staring ahead. His cheeks were a rosy red, but it wasn't from the running. "Tigress, I just...wanted to say sorry for saying that back there...you weren't supposed to hear that."

Once he noticed the almost crestfallen look Tigress gave him, he quickly continued, "You see, I wanted to set a special time aside for that. I wanted the first time I said that to you to be one of those moments where you knew I meant it. But when that guy said that about you..."

Tigress smiled a smile of relief and adoration at him, "Don't worry, Po. I know you meant it with all your heart." she kissed his cheek and returned to the speed on par with Mantis and Monkey. From this action Po could only smile and run faster, passing everyone in the group of dropped jaws as he his large legs quickly made him a dot to even Crane.

When they finally reached the temple, they found Po lying on the ground by the walls panting heavily. The group laughed as Tigress sat on her knees beside him and smiled down at him as he caught his breath, "I never knew I had such an effect on you.", her smile faded when she saw him bleeding through his bandages and sighed. She punched him in the shoulder a little harder than she'd meant to.

"Owwwwwwoo! What was _that_ for?" he sat up to look at her and rubbed his right shoulder.

"For opening up your wounds, you ass!" she seethed. The panda bear flinched, but smiled and laughed softly.

"Yeah, I guess I had that comin." he groaned as he stood up with the help of Monkey and Tigress as his cuts made him a little weaker. After making sure that his friend was steadied, Monkey walked over to Crane and Mantis and whispered.

"Hey, how do you guys think he got those scratches, eh?" he said with a smirk.

"My guess is he got some roughage last night." Mantis snickered.

Crane only shook his head in disapproval.

"Everyone just shut up!" Tigress spoke in a hushed tone, scanning the forest around them, "Someone is out there..." a ruffle in the bushes before them caused her irises to dilate and her paw to react as quickly as it always had; Tigress grabbed one of Po's ninja stars that he sill had not used from his belt and threw it at the movement. A small thud was heard.

"Ow! Damn it!" yelled a voice.

"Well, at least we know it's not a monk." said Mantis while he and Monkey grabbed what was in the bushes and dragged it out, revealing a black spider monkey with the star sticking of his shoulder. Mantis hopped onto the primate's chest and pulled the star out. "Who are you?"

The black creature spoke with a slurred speech, "I'm Wu Ji." he pointed to himself with an empty bottle of sake.

Po walked over to him and took the bottle before sniffing at it and pulling his head away from the strong smell "Whew! I bet you are!" the monkey just cackled and rolled onto his stomach, causing Mantis to have to jump off of him.

"Nooooo! My name is Wooooo. Geeeeeee!" he laughed more.

"This guy's drunk off his ass!" said Crane glancing at the others, "Do you think he might be one of them?"

"I don't know. Knock him out and we will take him back to the Jade Palace." said Tigress to Monkey. And with a kick to the head, Wu Ji's vision went black.

With Wu Ji unconscious, they fanned out to search for anymore assassins. After a few minutes of searching, everyone came back to the knocked out primate. Everyone confirmed with each other; the village would be safe for another day. So with Wu Ji slumped over Monkey's back, the six warriors made their way from the abandoned temple towards the village they are honor bound to protect. Once they reached the Thousand Steps, Monkey, Mantis and Crane began the long walk up. But Tigress and Po stood before the bottom step looking up to their friends, so the three males of the Furious Five turned around once their friends' presence could not be noticed as obvious as before.

"Come on, guys! Aren't you coming?" said Mantis.

"No no, I think…we will just stay down here for now. Send father down when he is ready, alright?" said Tigress, and without another word she turned around and began to walk back towards Dragon Warrior Noodles and Tofu. Po glanced between his friends and girlfriend, then waved a polite farewell to the three and followed her.

The others just stared for a minute to watch the pair walk down the brown stone road before continuing up the stairs. The conversation hadn't been a long time coming, but it didn't make things any easier to say on the three brothers in arms.

"Is this how it's going to be from now on? Everything is all messed up!" said Monkey, who grunted and grimaced from the accidental smell of Wu Ji's breath catching his nose once more.

"Yeah! I mean, it's only been two days and already life has started to suck, big time! Tigress isn't here to complete the team, Po isn't there to make us laugh, _or _make his noodles! And Master Shifu hasn't so much as spoken a word to anyone! I mean, I even made a 'Po and Tigress knockin boots' joke this morning in the Training Hall!" exclaimed the green colored creature.

"What did he do?" asked Crane.

"He just shook his head and limped back to his quarters. By the way, do either of you know where he put Master Oogway's Staff?"

"He put it in the Moon Pool for some reason; didn't you notice when we came to help him up in the Hall of Warriors yesterday?" asked Monkey.

"Yeah, how'd I miss that?" whispered Mantis to himself with a pinscher scratching the back of his head.

"Because when Master Shifu lashed out at us and rushed off, you pissed in my hat from fear?" mumbled Crane in quiet dignity and disgust with each step he took.

"That wasn't pee! That was...sweat!"

"Sweat doesn't smell like that..."

_With Tigress and Po_

The tiger climbed into the room with as much anger as possible. She began stomping around hatefully, doing her best not to destroy every single thing in the room. Po popped his head up from the hatch and wondered how carefully he needed to tread right now. In decision to wing it, he heaved himself up into his room and groaned a bit to straighten up. The panda watched his mate walk back and forth in circles for several minutes. Her sandaled paws almost digging into the wood of her shoes with the black claws sharper than any ninja star or sword he might have, he was far from encouraged to speak with the risk he may get a swift kick to the mid section. But being brave or dumb, Po spoke up.

"What's gotten you so upset?" he asked timidly.

"Upset? I'll tell you what's gotten me upset." she growled, stopping to face him but shutting her eyes while her fists practically burned with intensity "I get upset when someone leaves the Training Hall doors open, or when you eat all the food in the kitchen! Or when Mantis and Monkey decide to have one of their infamous "prank-offs"! I am way past upset."

"Well then, what is it?" flinched the bear. Tigress took a couple steps back and sat down on their bed with a heavy sigh. She put her elbow on her knee and her shaking head in her paw.

"I feel bad for ruining the others' lives because of my actions. I know I made the right choice, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. But I wouldn't feel any less guilty. They have no leader." she stated, then looked up at Po and followed him as he made his way over and gently sat beside her "We're not the Furious Five anymore! What's going to happen to the Valley of Peace when the news spreads? And even if everyone begged us to come back...I don't want to." she put her paws in her lap, but did not straighten up from her slouching position once her eyes met the floor once again "Po, that place was a living nightmare for me every day of my life until you came. Shifu made me study til my eyes dried up and train until my bones grinded to dust." finally she slammed her fist into her leg while tears tried desperately to escape, but she would not let them. She would not make a habit over something so stupid as her feelings "I don't know what I am supposed to do, Po? What _can_ I do?"

The feline sighed and shut her eyes in a half relaxed half stressed state when she felt Po's paw run over her back to comfort her. But her eyes opened and she tensed when she heard his silent laughter. Tigress looked beside her with an initial idea to strangle him at his reaction to her pain, but he beat her to the punch in his explanative actions.

"Well for starters, you might want to stop saying things like "me" and "I". It's "we" and "us" now, ya get it? We're in this together Ti." when Tigress gave him a small smile and leaned into him a little, he wrapped his arm around her.

"Alright, I am listening."

"Well what if news _didn't_ spread about the most bodacious of the Five leaving the Five with the Dragon Warrior because she _didn't_ leave the Five, then everything would be okay."

"W-what do you mean; you mean we aren't leaving the Valley of Peace?" asked the confused feline with narrowing eyes at this contradicting bear.

"I didn't say that, now did I? I say, we leave the Valley of Peace for this Kokubuyoru City or whatever it's called, but bring the rest of the Five _with_ us!" he said with a smile as wide as his stomach.

"Po, the others will not uproot their lives just for us." said Tigress shaking her head in soft laughter.

"Oh they won't, won't they? Did you see the look on Viper's face when we were talking about leaving? And did you see the guys' faces when we refused to go to the Palace? They know we're a family, they know that we love them and that they love us. They would _jump_ at the idea!"

"But who will stay and guard the Valley? Shifu can't do it on his own..."

"You kidding? With us gone, he'll _have _to find other Masters to come to the Valley in our stead. With all of his connections, he'll have replaced us in a month, tops."

"And money? I doubt if Mantis, Monkey, Viper, or even Crane have saved the income they were provided for protecting the Valley like we have. And two incomes does not a home for six make."

"But I've been saving up since I got my first portion of reward money after we defeated Tai Lung; and you know that was a huge bit of cash!" he added "And if Song says that housing is even more expensive than that, then we'll just sell some stuff we don't need on our way there. Like you've said, "People would jump at the chance to own the Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five's own stuff"!"

The panda soon found his arm being stretched out when Tigress leaned back away from him a little to stare at him expectantly. She was not one to be surprised, but this was surprising indeed. Po having a well thought out plan? It was absurd. The very idea was an oxymoron, which was actually a simple concept for the simple bear.

She blinked and she smiled; she shook her head only a little and kept her gaze. And leaning in, she felt his heartbeat quicken with her close proximity to him; their lips touched ever so softly. Their eyes lowered to an extent to raise the romantic texture of the kiss, and they stared at one another as if seeing each other for the first time. She was now looking at an intelligent warrior with the ferocity she had never seen before in him. And he was now looking at a soft and compassionate being that knew mercy as well as hurt. The two that were once on the brink of the other ends of the earth with their opposites now shared one heart and one soul. They were one, finally. It was a relief that neither truly understood. In their heads they knew this was a new experience to the both of them; but something continued to scream a whisper into each soul that this was right and true and good.

The two pulled away from each other to create a small smacking noise in separation of their lips.

"So…you like the idea I take it?" asked Po quietly with a breath as cheerful as his gentle smile.

"I love the idea. And more importantly, I..." the female hesitated. Her heart was tearing away from the ironclad inhibitions that encrusted it all these years, and it hurt so much to make those walls crumble. But the force she felt pulling her heart away from the wall of hatred was too great; she wished to say these words too badly, and how unhappy must she be until she says them? She was a little scared to say the least, but when she looked into the sea green eyes of this pure spirit her fear went away and she finished her sentence in a tone that sounded so sincere. So...right. "I love _you_, Po."

Po breathed in a deep breath made of complete bliss and relief. He smiled a content smile and hugged her with arms welcoming her like they always wished to welcome "Thank you so much, Tigress; you have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that."

"Really?" she asked in hugging him back, clinging to his neck and burying her face in the black and white fur that she so adored.

"Of course; you give me purpose in life, Tigress. You make me feel worthy of so much, like I can do anything in the world. I do have purpose; it's to be with you." he said urgently fighting the moisture in his eyes.

Tigress opened her eyes to a wider extent than before. She stared at the wall in surprise and suddenly…she felt her life flash before her eyes. She took stock of everything that has happened to her. How everything led up to this night. Her great strength that scared all the children away brought her to Shifu. Shifu brought her to the Jade Palace to learn Kung Fu. Kung Fu had brought her to Po. And in this realization she realized the links; all of the events in her life from orphanage to the national threat that is the Fountain Demon…

"This is meant to be." she whispered. Po broke the hug to look at her, and she returned the look with a gentle smile "I do not know why, but we have been bonded Po. So remember, no matter what happens." she held his paw in hers and grasped it so tight, the panda almost winced in pain "I will always be with you."

"Promise?" asked the panda.

"What do you think?" asked Tigress in a soft purr while leaning her lips and body into the panda, making them both lie on the bed. Her purrs echoed in the room as the sun had started going down, leaving a beautiful golden hue to their world. Tigress began to untie the front of her vest. She left the last one untied so that he could do it for her. After untying the last string, she straightened her arms back so that his paws could slide the vest down her soft muscular arms. Meanwhile, downstairs in the kitchen...

Mr. Ping waddled through the house that was now coated in twilight, making his rounds to make sure everything was in place. He checked the stove; no flames. He checked the tables and countertops; wiped down. He checked the dishes; clean as a whistle. Sighing in content and relief from such a hard day, his webbed feet made their way to the steps. He grabbed hold of the rail with his feathered fingers and stopped once he heard it. He looked up at the stairs before him with his head cocked to the right, and he directed his irises slowly towards the wall beside him to listen. For a moment he'd thought he was hearing things, and his aged muscles began to take their movements to start up the stairs once more. But again he stopped when he heard the cry coming from upstairs; a cry that sounded somewhat like a certain tiger he knew.

The old goose put a wing over his beak, his cheeks red. And yet he could not hide his smile from behind those white feathers. He chuckled under his breath, turned around and waddled out of the kitchen through his precious restaurant. Once at the double doors, he opened them, walked through, and closed them behind his avian tail. Mr. Ping began to walk next door, merely muttering in happiness.

"Finally, I will have some grandchildren!" he said in a quiet laugh and a shaking head.

Half an hour later with Po and Tigress...

They held each other in a warm embrace until they began to gently drift off to sleep covered with nothing but a light gray blanket and smiles on their faces, with Tigress laying on Po's side with her right leg wrapped around his, embracing him as he did her with their faces buried into each other's fur. The last few sounds that were made that night were the mumblings of the two lovers before they drifted away into dreamland.

"Tigress?"

"Yes, love?" purred the tiger.

"I just realized something." said the panda as the end of his snout rubbed against the patterns on her forehead, making his voice muffled.

"Hmm?" she grunted quietly as her tail wrapped around his leg.

"We haven't eaten. All. Day. Long."


	9. Chapter 9: Sort Everything Out

Chapter 9: Sort Everthing Out

Bright and early next morning Po and Tigress seemed to be inseparable by how they acted; on four occasions Mr. Ping noticed the sound of the feline master purring, and Po actually winked at her on three of those occasions. Very strange indeed to those ignorant of the situation, so Mr. Ping decided to play the "kind but senseless old man" act like he always did. In fact, he did not even complain when the two almost ate him out of house and home from the amount of food Po prepared for them; not surprising from how little they ate yesterday. But before they could take their leave to the Palace, the old goose made sure that the cheery couple washed every dish they had dirtied. While they washed the dishes and Mr. Ping cooked the first batch of soup to sell for the day, Tigress and Po discussed the matters of their departure; where they may live, how much it might cost, and how long it may take to get there. Mr. Ping was feeling hesitant about all this, but he said that being around the Kung Fu masters he knew so well, not to mention his son and new daughter, would keep him from feeling lost in their new home.

After all dishes were sparkling like new, and the doors of the restaurant opened for the day to see a ready and hungry group of customers rushing in, the couple gave their farewell to their father and proceeded to make a beeline for the Jade Palace. Truth be told, neither of them were too thrilled about going up those steps, and for once it was for the same reason; Master Shifu. The old master would certainly be angry with them to say the least, but this had to be done; and given the situation, they worried not about the red panda's judgment anymore. But they did fear his wrath. But nonetheless, again it had to be done; the Five must stay together, lest rumor spread that the strongest Kung Fu team in China had lost half of it's strength because of Tigress' leave. Surely every bandit, murderer and thief would come out of the woodwork and cause a ripple effect of crimes all over the country. Not to mention they would both miss their friends dearly, even if Tigress would not admit it herself.

Once the panda and tiger found the top of the stairs, they stopped only to allow Po to catch his breath. After recovering they opened the doors to find that the courtyard was empty. In fact by the sound of it, the whole Palace could very well have been deserted. The couple looked at each other, then continued on towards the Barracks. Perhaps in his delirious state, Master Shifu gave the their friends the morning to sleep in. But in finding the path to the rooms, they would pass the closed doors of the kitchen.

"Wait." whispered Tigress with a touch of her paw on the panda's shoulder. He stopped when she did, and listened. Odd, they could hear dishes clattering softly; as if someone was using them. But no one was saying a word. With the recognition of strange silence, Po squinted his eyes and took a step towards the double doors of the kitchen. As his paws pressed into the wood, he gently pushed them open where the rest of the Five plus Song were all eating quietly at the table. Shifu of course was nowhere in sight.

"Po!" exclaimed Monkey. Everyone immediately got up and tackled the bear, save for Song.

With a laugh the panda hugged his friends and allowed them to get off of him. Afterwards everyone sat down and pulled up extra chairs for the newly arrived couple.

"So what's going to happen now? Are you guys going to come back to the Jade Palace? You know, after all this blows over?" asked Monkey.

"Sorry, but we aren't welcome." declared Po to the room.

"But, where will you live? Please don't say you're going to that city!", said Mantis, then he started to tear up as he got out a tiny handkerchief "That's just too far away!" the bug blew his nose dramatically and dabbed the edges of his eyes. The snake sitting in the chair behind the spot where he stood on the table patted him on the back with the end of her tail and permitted a candid smile for her friend.

"Haha. Told ya." smirked Po with a smug sense of righteousness. Tigress only rolled her eyes.

"So shall I tell them or will you be delivering the news yourself?" she crossed her arms with her request.

"Mmmmmm, you go ahead. It'll sound much awesomer coming from you." he said.

The striped feline nodded and turned to the rest of the room where she explained the situation from front to back, and told them the decisions that were made between her and Po last night, excluding the final decision made resulting in a restful sleep for the two. Po almost thought that Tigress may hesitate or stumble in her speech when coming close to the end, but being the Kung Fu Master that she was, Tigress remained professional and gave no indication that anything may have happened. This did not stop the perverse imaginations from Monkey and Mantis by their smirking glances towards each other, but Tigress would take care of their insubordination later.

After her speech was finished, no one spoke. Song tapped on the table continuously with the tip of her claw from the entire conversation, but no one really noticed. Partly from the gravity of the request; and their faces reflected their thoughts.

Tigress' half smile turned into a full blown frown. She turned to Po and he returned her look with a nervous smirk and shrug.

"We...don't know what to say. It's definitely a tempting offer. But this is where we've lived most our lives; except Crane." added Viper "I mean, you two want to have a new life; together. We'd just be crushing your dream by being around." the snake turned her gaze away from the others to hide the moisture in her eyes.

"Viper…" sighed Tigress "Don't you understand? We need you in our new life, all of you. Things just wouldn't be the same. And if we stayed here, we would just bring more trouble to the Valley of Peace anyway. Let's face it; we are a magnet for villains. There is always some melodramatic fool with a mystical weapon trying to destroy everything. And there always will be. But if we leave, this trouble will follow us. And because we will live in such a large city, the guards will take care of the small problems. We'll be defending against the problems that the guards can't handle. And without...Shifu to boss us around, we'll actually be able to live our lives; to stop and smell the flowers. To..." she glanced at Po and smiled "to raise a family." Po added to her smile with his own and looked at the others.

"So? What's the answer guys?" he asked enthusiastically.

"Okay, group huddle!" said Mantis as he, Crane, Monkey, and Viper quickly grouped together in front of the kitchen door. They began to whisper until they realized that Po was in the huddle as well."Uhhhh, big guy? We kinda need to talk without you."

"Ohhhhh, right. Gotcha.", he still stood in the huddle til Viper sighed.

"Po, we realize you're nervous, but we need to talk about this alone." with that, the four rushed out of the kitchen and back to the barracks to talk while Po stood in the doorway twiddling his fingers. Tigress placed a paw on his shoulder and smiled.

"Don't worry, Po. No matter what, we will be together; that is all that matters." she stated. The bear put his arm around her and kissed her right temple.

"I know you will, babe."

"Ahem.", the two looked back to the table where Song was still sitting, seemingly carving little X's into a the table "Look, we all know this is going to be awkward, so could you two_ please_ keep the lovey-dovey stuff to a minimum? At least while I'm around?" the snow leopardess stood up and left the room as quickly as she could with a mumble in he passing "I'll be in my room if you need me."

"Great, this drama is starting to give me a headache." groaned Po as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Well, we could spar. That may help your headache." said Tigress while patting his back.

"I don't think me getting my ass kicked is going to help here." grumbled the panda.

"Oh but if that happened, you know I would give you a nice massage in every spot you hurt." whispered the tiger softly into his ear.

Po raised a brow at her "Or you could just give me a massage now, cut out the middle man?"

"Come now Dragon Warrior, you have to work for it." stated Tigress as she walked back down the hall on her way to the Training Hall "Besides, I haven't trained in a couple of days."

The aforementioned Dragon Warrior rolled his eyes and followed her.

_Twenty Minutes Later, Just Outside the Training Hall Doors_

"Ya know that was great and all, but did you have to break my spine?" asked the panda rubbing his back as they walked out of the opening doors.

"Is it my fault that you hit the stairs when I tackled you?" retorted Tigress as she held the door open for her boyfriend.

"Yes, as a matter of fact it was."

The two were interrupted by the sight of four eyes staring at them.

Crane cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his head.

"We were just uh...looking for you guys to tell you that uh...yeah, we've decided to go with you." he said.

Mantis hopped onto Po's shoulder and whispered something into his ear, causing Po to blush and yell "That-that's none of your business!"

Mantis just laughed and hopped back over to the other three, but then received a smack from Viper's tail. She didn't just whip him in the back of the head this time, she just slammed it on top of him. With his body crushed, the bug groaned out a weak apology into the stone floor "Kay; my bad, sorry!"

"Sorry guys, I'll try to keep this one in check on our way to the city." laughed Viper.

"Why should _you_ be the one to keep him in check?" asked a brow raising Po while he straightened his back out with a pop.

"N-no reason; I just like to smack him in the behind-behind the head!" the rarely flustered snake's scales changed color visibly.

"So who will be telling Master Shifu about this?" asked Master Tigress, who crossed her arms.

Suddenly, as if they had expected someone to say that, Crane, Viper, Mantis and Monkey all said in unison "Not it!"

Tigress growled, but then smiled to Po "You can do this, can't you baby?"

"What? Are you crazy? I've already been banished from the Palace, what's he gonna do to me when I tell him about all this?" asked the panda that once destroyed an entire fleet of ships in under an hour only months prior.

"Hm. Then why don't I just…" she whispered in his ear once more, making the panda straighten up to his full height.

"Where's Master Shifu?" he asked. Po spun on his heels and ran for the direction they were pointing.

"So how serious is this thing, you and Po?" asked the ever curious and knowledge seeking Crane.

"Fairly serious; though I do not see how it is of any business of yours." snapped Tigress.

"Come on, Tigress, we've known each other since we were kids! Well, except Crane." added Viper. Crane shook his head.

"What about Mantis?" mentioned the bird.

"Oh, he's always been a child." said Monkey. The group laughed, save for Mantis.

Suddenly in the distance, the other four could see a black and white ball flying up into the air. Tigress turned around to see this when she heard the scream.

"AAAAAHAAHAAAHAAAA!"

"Oh, no." growled Tigress under her breath. She turned to the snake "Viper, get the medics ready. Mantis, Monkey, Crane, with me."

Viper slid away for the infirmary while the four of them ran towards the panda where he was now laying in the courtyard, on his back, bleeding heavily as a couple of his bandages had been torn away. He groaned as he sat up when the four entered the proximity.

"Po!" yelled Tigress as she went to his side.

"You think you can just take away my entire life's work in one fell swoop? Dragon Warrior or not, I will _not _allow this!" the red panda stood in the doorway to the Hall of Heroes looking furious "You have already brainwashed my daughter, you will not take away the rest of the Five!" he started to walk down the steps to finish Po off.

"YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HIM AGAIN!" roared the tiger with tears in her eyes. The three males of the Five looked back and forth between Po and Tigress and their Master.

Shifu stopped in his tracks and looked at Tigress angrily. He gripped his old cane as if trying to hold on to the earth itself.

"Crane! Monkey! Mantis! Take Po to the hospital wing before he bleeds to death!" said Tigress as she stood and stared Shifu down.

The three started to make their way to Po before Shifu spoke up "Stop! Let him die. Then his hold on you will finally subside!" Tigress laughed mockingly and bitterly at him.

"You really have snapped, haven't you, you old bastard? This man has done more for me in one month than you have my entire life! And you're too blinded by avarice and malice to see it!" she turned to look at the three, who were confused, but started helping Po up. Po was not looking good at all. She turned to look at Shifu again and popped her knuckles, then popped her neck as she lowered his paws to her sides with claws unsheathed "I'm going to enjoy this."

She lunged at Master Shifu, who blocked her punches and kicks as she unleashed her ferocity at him. He was panting already as it took all of his energy just to keep her at bay. He backed away from her as he blocked and dodged, panting harder. They fought for almost an hour as she drained his energy with every punch and kick. Her form was perfect. This wasn't just an outburst of blind rage. She was fighting for something; for someone. The morning sun turned to the midday star, creating beads of sweat to cover the two from every hurting movement and each painful action. But Tigress was relentless, and she would not let up. Finally after the hour had passed, he saw an opening and kicked her in the chest, which she blocked, but he expected this as he kicked off of her and put a good twenty feet between them.

He breathed hard and leaned on his cane. He was vulnerable. He wouldn't be able to dodge or block any more strikes. His energy was almost completely gone. Tigress smirked as she saw the weak red panda trying his best to stay standing up.

"What's wrong, old man? Too scared to hurt your daughter? Why don't you use that Inner Peace shit you're always feeding us?"

Shifu panted less and less, but looked at her and furrowed his brow "If this is the way you wish it, then fine!"

Shifu dropped his cane and got into his stance. He could feel calmness running through him, and he could think more clearly. But something was wrong. This wasn't Inner Peace. He opened his eyes as he saw Tigress running towards him. She threw her left claws down towards him, which he ducked to dodge, but ended up with some shallow scratches on his cheek. But as she turned, she used her momentum to spin around and jump up slightly as she drop kicked Shifu in the side of head with a roar.

_Meanwhile, In the Infirmary…_

Po was sitting on one of the hospital beds, groaning and biting down on a piece of wood in his mouth hard while the medic sewed up his wounds. Monkey was holding onto Po's paw with his own as Crane patted the big guy on the shoulder while Mantis was putting acupuncture needles into Po's back to take the edge off of the pain. Song was sitting in the corner, suppressing the urge to go over to Po and kiss him and comfort him. Viper had left to begin packing after she found that Po was going to be alright.

Just then Tigress burst through the doors and stood there holding Shifu's unconscious body in her right paw. Everyone watched as she walked towards the group, tossing the red panda carelessly onto a recovery cot, and stood before Po. The other males as well as the medic got out of the way just before she grabbed him by the cheeks. The wooden plank in Po's mouth dropped to the floor just as she pressed a passionate kiss between them.

When she finally broke the kiss, she rested her forehead on his and whispered "I'm sorry; I didn't think he'd actually try to kill you."

"Hey, it's cool. At least it was me and not you." said Po in a smile.

From such a scene, Song walked out of the hospital wing and back to the barracks. She made her way to Po's old room where she had been staying, gently shut the doors behind her, fell onto the bed and planted her head into the pillow. She cried, but it wasn't as bad as it usually was. It never was as bad when she cried in Po's room. Thankfully for her, Po had left his old pillow. And his scent was burned into the fabric. She breathed in the scent and calmed down a little as she hugged the white fluff. She had been tempted to paint the pillow with black spots to look like Po, but decided against it as it would just be downright weird. But nonetheless, she held onto the one thing that would keep her from going crazy from jealousy. She buried her face into the fabric and purred softly. Her tears vanishing as she clung to the pillow.

"You know, this could pose a problem for us if you keep this up."

Song jumped up to see Tigress leaning on the doorway with her arms crossed. She didn't look mad. Maybe a little annoyed that another woman was breathing in her lover's scent, but not mad. She had a sort of kindness in her eyes that Song hadn't seen in her before.

"You think this is easy for me? What would you do if things were reversed?"

Tigress shrugged and stated flatly "I'd tear you to shreds for barging in on me while I was having a private moment."

"Not that! I mean, if I had ended up with Po instead of you, what would you have done?"

Tigress sighed through her nose and looked at the floor in thought, then looked back up at Song "I guess, if you had ended up with Po, I'd be so pissed off I wouldn't have left the Training Hall for a month."

"See? That's what I thought!"

"But!" Tigress interrupted "I would have become emotionally closed off again like I was before he arrived. And I wouldn't have felt happy for him. I wouldn't have felt anything for him anymore."

"But I can't do that. Tigress, I'm not like you."

"Nor I like you." she sighed and walked over to the bed before kneeling down and looking straight into Song's eyes "Now listen. I'm trying to be nice about this, but you aren't making it easy. So I'm just going to be flat-out straight with you. This involves verbal threats that would later involve physical pain. Okay?" Song nodded and tensed up as Tigress spoke. She didn't sound mean, but her calm voice accompanied with the words she chose were a creepy combination "We leave tomorrow. And in our travels, if I see you get within a foot of Po unless it's an emergency, or if you try to touch him otherwise, or kiss him, or hug him, or make any sexual gestures towards him, or start presenting yourself to him in any way, shape, or form...I will personally slam your head into a boulder, stab into your sides with my claws, rip out your throat with my fangs, and beat you down until you are nothing but a bloody heap of flesh on the ground." she patted Song on the knee and stood up before turning around and walking out of the room, leaving a very pale and shaky snow leopard.


	10. Chapter 10: Wait, That's Not Cool!

Chapter 10: Wait, That's Not Cool!

Since Shifu was out cold, Tigress and Po were now free to roam around the Jade Palace without fear of retribution. They had requested the doctor to keep Master Shifu sedated until they had left, which the doctor reluctantly complied. Po was begging to train in the Training Hall, but Tigress put her foot down. An odd feeling for both of them, but Po had felt he had more and more energy ever since he and Tigress...'connected'. But with his stitches, even though they were more professionally done, were too fresh and Tigress was no where near to letting him start training again.

They strolled into the kitchen where Viper, amazingly, was sitting. She looked at Tigress and Po walking in and blushed softly as she looked at the surface of the table."Hey, guys..."

"Hey, Viper. Whazzup?", said Po as he started to take out the pots and pans to begin cooking. Tigress took a seat opposite of Viper and watched Po carefully to make sure he didn't strain his muscles.

"N-nothing much, just waiting for lunch.", she said. Tigress rubbed her temples. The constant tension in the air around them was giving _her_ a headache this time. She let out a half groan, half sigh.

"Viper, I know that you heard me whisper to Po, but could you please be mature and try to look past it? It's not like we're going to do it anytime soon anyway."

At this, Po groaned and leaned against the counter with his arms crossed disappointedly while the chicken cooked. Tigress chuckled."Sorry hun, but it's not like we'll have much time while we're travelling."

"Oh my God-Could we just change the subject please?", Viper said, her cheeks reddened even more.

Po sighs,"Sorry. But on a somewhat related subject, Who are you gonna pick?", he said as he turned back around and chopped some sweet onions, leeks and carrots. Viper stared at him, wide eyed and confused. Tigress looked at Po as well with her eyebrow raised.

"What is that supposed to mean, Po?", Viper huffed.

"Who is it, Mantis or Crane? You've shown feelings for both and they have vise versa.", Po shook some garlic ontop of the mixture and sat down next to Tigress, who just kept looking at him for a minute before speaking, Viper herself was speechless.

"Po, it isn't fair of you to ask her such a personal question when she herself obviously doesn't know the answer to.", Tigress said while looking at Po, but she hid a smirk behind her paws which were held together as she was leaning her elbows on the table.

Viper tapped the table repeatedly with her tail and looked around the kitchen before looking at the two, yelling in a hushed tone like she did with Song."_You're right, I don't know okay? I'm so confused!_", she sighed, looking undeniably at her wit's end.

"Well, I say you should just sit them down and tell them both flat out how you feel. Then hopefully by the end of the journey, you can decide.", Po had gotten up and dished out all three of their plates, then got them out three teacups and set the dishes down before pouring Tigress and Viper some tea.

"Po, no. If she did that, then it would be like a contest to them. You know how competitive Mantis can get and Crane is always trying to outwit everyone.", she took a sip of her tea, then smiled at Viper."Just search your heart, sister. In time, they will show you just why it is that you are attracted to them. And their hearts will certainly control their actions when the time is right."

Viper smiled and nodded."Thank you, Tigress. That helps a lot.", she began to eat slowly, obviously still in thought.

Po ate slowly as well and looked out the window as clouds we slowly rolling in."Hmmm."

"Something wrong, hun?"

"Not really, no. It's just...Viper, has anyone interrogated that Wu Ji guy yet?", he said after swallowing some onion.

"No, not yet. Although Mantis went down there to bring him supper and breakfast. He's been trying to fill your shoes a little, Po. But let's just say he should stick to the acupuncture.", Viper smiled some. Po laughed a little.

"Well, I think I'll go down there and talk to him. We'll need to find out just what to do with him before we leave.", he got up as Tigress followed suit.

"Mm, good idea. I'll come too. No offense Po, but you're a little too nice for interrigating.", she patted him on the shoulder, kissed his cheek and walked out of the kitchen as Po followed her. Viper continued to eat slowly, thinking in silence.

They made their way to the dungeon and looked through the cells until they spotted the Spider Monkey laying on the cot holding his head. Tigress spoke softly to Po,"Good, he's hung over. This'll make things much easier."

"How do you know he's hung over?", whipered Po. Tigress smirked and snapped her fingers.

"Aah! Easy!", Wu Ji groaned.

"That's how.", she opened the cell door and grabbed the monkey by the collar.

"Okay listen, buddy. My boyfriend here is going to ask you a few questions. IF you value your life, you'll answer him quickly and honestly. Or else."

"Or else what?", he immediately regretted his remark as the tiger roared into his ear. His shreik in pain caused her to step back slightly as Wu Ji covered his ears and slumped onto the floor."Ok, ok, I'll be good!", he whined.

Tigress smiled at Po and waved her arm out as a sign for him to start his line of questioning. Po stepped up and knelt down, speaking quietly much to Wu Ji's gratefullness."Okay first off. What do you know about the Fountain Demon?"

"All I know is that she's a red lion that wants all aged peoples dead for uglying up her world."

"Okay. Next. I saw a dead ram on the cliffside with a shuriken sticking out of his chest. He had the same lime green gi as the assassins that attacked us. Did you kill him?", Tigress' eyes widen. He hadn't mentioned that.

Wu Ji studied Po for a minute and nodded."Yes, I did."

"Why? He was your comrade, was he not?"

"He was not my comrade! I didn't even want to be a part of this army. It's a fool who commands it and it's a seductress that kills her own men."

"She...she kills them?", Po flinched.

"Yes. Whenever a man in her army turns forty, she brings them into her cabin to mate with them. But they are never seen after that door closes. Hardly anyone ever notices, and if they ever do or say anything, they are killed on the spot. I have kept my mouth shut for seven years. And every day I grow more and more fearful. I am thirty-eight. I only have two years left to live if I stay in her army."

Po blinked and frowned at him."Wait, lets back up a second here. She mates with them? Why don't they just refuse?"

The monkey looked up at Po with fear in his eyes,"Because no man has ever resisted her charms. She is beautiful, but it is almost as if the sun mated with the moon to give birth to her. It's almost as if she has some sort of spell over men."

Po looked back at Tigress, who was looking down with her arms crossed as she had leaned back against the cell bars. He then looked back at Wu Ji."Wu Ji, I have one last question for you. If we let you go free, will you help us in strategizing against the Fountain Demon?"

Wu Ji stared at Po for more than a few minutes, apparently thinking over his options. Tigress pulled Po to the side and whispered.

"Po, should we really be doing this? He's the enemy."

Po shrugged."I dunno. I have this gut feeling that he's more than willing to help us take her down."

"Is this the same gut feeling you had when you decided to stomp on the King of Theives because he was just a mantis?"

"Oh yeah, forgot to tell you that that scar's finally starting to fade, see?", he lifted the bottom of his foot, which showed a feint 'X' mark across his heel. Tigress facepalmed and shook her head.

"Uh, could I interuppt?", the panda and tiger looked at Wu Ji, who was rubbing his head again."I just wanted to say that I'm all for taking the bitch down. I don't wanna die. Exspecially in two short years."

Po looked at Tigress hopefully. Tigress sighed."Fine. But you are to remain in sight with at least one of the Furious Five, Po, or Song. If you show even the slightest hint of betrayal, we take you out.", she finished the sentence by running her thumb across her throat. Wu Ji nodded and stood up.

"So can I leave the cell now? It stinks in here.", said Wu Ji.

"Oh, yeah, what is that anyway?", Po said as they walked out of the cell, followed by Tigress.

"Oh, I vomited.", Wu Ji said sheepishly,"Sorry."

Po rolled his eyes."Eh, don't worry. The Palace staff is used to having to clean up that type of thing. Especially after Monkey gets home late at night.", he mumbled as they walked up the stairs.

"Thank you for trusting me, Dragon Warrior. I promise you, you won't regret it."

"I better not. And call me Po.", Po grinned as they got to the top of the stairs and walked past the courtyard.

Tigress got beside Po this time as Wu Ji fell back, looking around at the Jade Palace in an amazed stare. Tigress spoke to Po quietly as he responded in the same manner, both staring ahead as they walked.

"Po, what did you do with the body?"

"Set it on fire and chucked it into the river below as it burned."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Po blushed a bit and stopped walking as she did. He rubbed the back of his head and mumled softly."Iwntbelkyu.

Tigress brought up Po's chin so he was looking at her.

"What was that?"

"I...I wanted to be more like you. You know, cunning, resourcful, tactful, quick thinking, and you always know what to say or do when the time comes. Sometimes you don't talk and you seem to have good reason for it. So...", he trailed off. Tigress blushed and shook her head with a smile.

"Po, I'm truly flattered. But when you find a body, it's worth mentioning.", suddenly they heard a scream, then a swoosh, a groan, and a thud in a matter of five seconds. They looked at Song, the one who had screamed. She was standing over a bleeding Wu Ji, presumably the one who did the groaning. She had a blood stained dagger in her paw. Tigress lunged at Song and pinned her down as Po rushed over and knelt beside Wu Ji, taking his hand as blood continued to seep through his throat.

"Po..."

"Don't talk, Wu Ji. Just...hang in there.", Wu Ji shook his head slowly, then crooked his finger as he motioned for Po to listen. Po leaned in and put his ear to the monkey's mouth.

Song struggled under Tigress, growling,"Po, don't listen to a word that guy says! That's Wu Ji, the Thread Spinner!", Tigress put a paw over Song's mouth.

"Shut up! You may have killed our best shot of taking out the Demon!"

Po waved his hand dismissively at the two behind him as he sat, still listening to Wu Ji, whos voice was getting weaker and softer.

"She...she's making a fool out of all of you...don't you see? She's...a spy..."

"How do I find out?", whispered Po.

"The Demon...leaves a seal on whatever flesh she kiss...es...", with a raspy gurgle, Wu Ji was dead. Po slowly stood up, looked at Tigress and Song, then walked down the hall towards the bathhouse.

"Let her go, Tigress. Come on. We need to talk. Song, go tell everyone what happened.", he said softly.

Tigress growled at Song before getting up and sprinting over to Po to catch up. She eyed him worriedly."What's wrong?"

"Wait til we get to the bathhouse. I want to wash this blood off of my paws before the scent sinks in.", Tigress nodded and walked with him into the bathhouse. They went into the private section reserved for people who just want to bathe alone. Or for those who want to bathe alone with...others.

After washing his paws off and stripping down, Po sank his body into the water, the heat stinging his wounds as he groaned, but he settled in gradually. Tigress stripped down and got in with him as she cuddled against his side.  
>"Okay Po, spill it. What did he say?"<p>

Po rubbed his nose and shut his eyes tight, like he was trying to get rid of some weird nightmare he had a long time ago."He said that Song is a spy."

Tigress' brows furrowed. Sure, she disliked Song. And sure Song made her blood boil. But Song was no spy."Po, that doesn't make sense. Did he have any proof?"

"Ugh. Yeah, apparently.", said Po.

"And?"

"He said...he told me how the Fountain Demon recruits spies.", Po blushed some.

Tigress was beginnig to get annoyed."Aaaaand?"

"She kisses a spot on their body, leaving a seal.", he rubbed his temples. Tigress growled lowly, she knew what he was saying and where he was going with this.

"AND?"

"Tigress, please don't make me say it. It's disgusting enough just to think about it!"

"Well, forget it Po! I'm not letting you fuck some other girl just to find out if she's a spy!"

"I never said I _wanted_ you to let me!", he sighed frustratedly."But I would like to know how you think we should go about this. We can't travel with Song if she's a spy. She could lead us into an ambush! For all we know, that letter she had could've been fake!"

Tigress nodded, but still growled. She couldn't get the image of Po and Song fucking out of her head. She stared into the water in thought.

"Could we knock her out?", said Po.

"When?"

"When she's asleep tonight."

"Maybe...", Tigress was running her claws through the fur of her arm,"But Viper and I are examaning her!", Po flattened his ears, hurt that she would think of him like that.

"Of course, Tigress. What, you think _I_ wanna look? I only wanna look at you.", Po said smiling. Tigress blushed. Then a thought popped in her head. She knew it made her sick to her stomach, but she wanted to see just how much he was commited to her.

"Po, if you had the chance to mate with both Song and I at the same time, would you?", she looked at him, trying to hide her worried expression.

Po blushed, hard."More than two people can mate at the same time? That seems a little weird...", she didn't change her expression and he sighed,"I'm not gonna lie, hun. That kind of thing is a fantasy that every male has, and it would be unfair for you to tell me that I should be blamed for being a guy. But Song is a friend, and I only see her as a friend. The thought alone just seems so wrong.", he grimaced and gagged a bit, she smiled and rubbed her cheek into his shoulder, hugging his arm.

"I understand, Po. As long as you don't try to act out your fantasies that don't include me, I can be understanding. I love you.", she purred.

"I love you, too.", he smiled and kissed her softly.

They sat there for an hour or so enjoying each other's company and relaxing in the hot bath.

That night, while the others slept, Tigress got up from her old bed with Po still asleep. She trusted him, but there was no reason to wake him if she and Viper were the only ones that were going to be examining Song anyways. Tigress crept out of the room, sliding the door open and closed silently before knocking thrice softly on Viper's door. Viper slid out of her room after cracking her door open and followed Tigress into Po's old room, where Song was sleeping.

They almost gagged at the sight, though they were more along the lines of just weirded out than anything else. Tigress quickly and quietly closed the door behind them to make sure no one could see. Song was asleep alright, but she didn't have any pants or panties on or anything. She had Po's old pillow, slightly damp, pressed imbetween her legs as she used her arms as a pillow. It took all of Tigress' self control not to roar in anger. That and Viper clenched Tigress' mouth shut and let out a 'shhh'. They crept over to Song before Viper quickly wrapped her body around Song's mouth and eyes. When Song woke up, she couldn't see or scream as she felt two strong paws pin her down while a sweet yet bitter scented flower was put under her nose. She slowly went limp.

"I swear to god, I'm going to kill this bitch wether she's a spy or not."

"Calm down, Tigress. Now look for the seal. We need to rule out Wu Ji's story, and if he's wrong, we need to put her in the same position she was in and leave before she wakes up."

They examined every inch of Song's body. They even looked in other certain places, but found no seal. Tigress sighed disappointedly. She would have loved to slit this bitch's throat while she slept. They then put her in the position she was in, Tigress regretably having to leave the pillow, and left the room silently.

The next morning, they were all packed and ready to go as Po made them the last breakfast they would ever have in the Jade Palace. There were pancakes, eggs, hashbrowns, bacon, biscuits, and gravy. They ate slowly, taking in their final meal there. But Po, Tigress and Viper were all silent as everyone else talked about the trip ahead. As everyone finished their meals, they walked out of the kitchen one by one, until it was just Po, Tigress, and Song. Po was washing dishes, and Tigress was waiting for Po like she always did. But Song was just glaring at Tigress.

Tigress noticed her glare and glared back."You got a problem?"

"As a matter of fact, I do, you bitch."

Tigress curled her lip in a small growl."Excuse me?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's with the name calling, Song? Don't you talk to her like that!", said Po.

"I'm sorry, Po, but I'll talk however I want to someone who prodded and poked at my naked body while I slept."

Po gulped a bit and looked at Tigress, who's eyes were wide."How did-"

"How did I know you did that?", interuppted Song,"You idiots used a Nobahei flower to 'knock me out'. I would've pegged you smarter than that. The Nobahei flower just puts a person in a state of parylyzation. I watched the whole thing, you pervert."

"I had good reason to do what I did! Wu Ji said that you were a spy, and he said that you could only tell by finding a seal on the peron's body."

"That gives you no excuse!", said Song, who's cheeks were now matted with tears."I told you that Wu Ji was a liar! Why couldn't you have just asked me?"

Tigress looked down, feeling guilty."W...we didn't think you'd comply..."

"Well I would have! It would've been better than this!", Song wiped away her tears, got up, and walked to the doorway before stopping and not turning around."You owe me...big time, Tigress. You and the snake.", she walked out to the courtyard after getting her bags.

Tigress sighed as Po massaged her shoulders."Thank you, honey."

"Don't mention it.", he kept rubbing her shoulders as he kissed the top of her head, making her purr.

She sighed again."Damn it, how am I going to make this up to her? She really hasn't done anything to me. And she's been a good friend to you."

Po shrugged as he sat down beside her."I dunno, buy her a parasole I guess?"

Tigress shook her head."Thats not how it works, Po. Things like this are done through favors."

"Oh, then just carry her bags or something I guess? I dunno.", he stood up and stretched as she stood up with him. They made their way to the courtyard where everyone was waiting for them, their own bags still down at the noodle shop.

"Okay, everyone ready to go?", said Po with a pumped fist.

"Yeah! Lets find our new home!", said Mantis and Monkey respectively.

"Then lets gio!", they started down the Jade Palace steps. On their way to a new beginning. A new life.


	11. Chapter 11: Devil Do Me Proud

Chapter 11: Devil Do Me Proud

Po, Tigress and the others were walking through the bamboo forest on the outskirts of the Valley of Peace. Mr. Ping was not with them. Even though he would have loved to bring his dad along, Po told the goose how dangerous it might be. And that they would come back for him once they found a place to stay. Finally after walking all day, the seven warriors decided to make camp. As Monkey and Crane set up the tents, Mantis set up the picnic style seating arrangment, Viper started the campfire, and Po was getting everything he needed to cook with out of his pack.

Tigress was in charge of patrolling the perimeter to make sure that there were no enemies hiding about. She started to walk towards the edge of the perimeter, but noticed Song watching the campfire grow. She sighed and walked towards the snow leopardess. She decided that this was as good a time as any to talk to Song, so she tapped Song on the shoulder. She turned her head around to look at Tigress, then scowled and turned her head back towards the fire.

Tigress sighed."Song, may we please talk?"

"Then talk.", Song said stubbornly.

"Alone?"

Song glared back at Tigress and turned her body around to walk away from the campsite, Tigress following. They stopped when the light of the campire was about the size of a dumpling to them. Song turned back around to look at Tigress, still glaring, with her arms crossed. Tigress' ears flattened against her head. This wasn't going to be easy for her.

"Song, I...I apologize. I really am very sorry for what happened. And you can leave Viper out of this, she was just going along with what I told her to do. So please don't be mad at her. I don't want us to be mad at each other the entire way to the city. So may we please make amends?", Tigress put out a paw for Song to shake it, but Song didn't even look at the extended paw. She kept staring at Tigress, straight into her eyes. Like she was trying to burn through them. Tigress lowered her paw and waited for a response. A twinge of annoyance hit her when she didn't get one.

"Okay, Song, I know you want compensation. So what's it going to take? You want me to carry your bags? Spit shine all of your things? Do your camp chores?"

Song didn't respond for an entire minute, standing unmoving."You know what I want. You know _exactly_ what I want."

Tigress let a deep growl creep from her being."NO. Anything but that...", she clenched her fists tightly.

"Well there's nothing else I want."

"Then you'll get nothing.", Tigress said coldly.

Song growled this time."Tigress, do you know how many people have seen me naked? Two. You. And the snake. You know when I was _planning_ on allowing someone to see me naked? Take a guess, bitch.", her voice was cracked as she looked like she was ready to cry.

Tigress was too distracted by the sound of Song's voice to care about her choice of words.

"All of my savings."

"I do fine."

"All of my possessions!"

"I have too much shit as it is!"

Tigress growled again, her hands were bleeding a little as she had unsheathed her claws into her paws.

Song spoke up, her voice still dreadfully emotional."I say we comprimise."

Tigress raised her head to look at her, raising an eyebrow and obviously not amused."You want to...to watch?"

Song shook her head slowly.

The tiger's eyes widened."NO! You, will, not! He is MY male and he will only claim me!"

Song sneered."You have a better idea?"

"Pick on one of the other guys. You're attractive, I'm sure they wouldn't say no."

Song allowed herself a small laugh to mock Tigress."Are you serious? The bird's much too smart for his own good, the bug makes way too many perverted jokes, and the monkey just doesn't have the brains to get past the drink. Po's perfect. I want my first time to be with the perfect male."

Tigress looked flustered. Really, really, flustered. She managed to stammer a response."B-besides, he isn't a toy we can just barter over! He has a say in this, and I know for a fact that he says that he doesn't want you like that!"

Song was hurt when Tigress said that, and it showed. Her ears laid flat and she scrunched her face up before looking down for a minute. Was she really that repulsive to Po? She shook the thoughts out of her head as she looked at Tigress dead in the eye again, maintaining her composure with a teasing smirk."Tigress. You have two options. Either let me join you and Po, or you can watch as I tell everyone we meet on this trip, including the Five, about what you alone did to me. As a matter of fact, I think I can feel my tongue loosening up right now. So what's it going to be, Tigress? Will my tongue let out your shame or let in Po's pride?"

Tigress was speechless. She wanted to kill Song on the spot. She was blackmailing them! Song walked passed her and back towards the camp, inhaling a large breath."Hey, guys!"

Tigress was panicking. She lunged at Song.

"Guess wha-"She was cut off by Tigress' paw over her mouth as Tigress slammed Song against a boulder that sat in their path, one hand over Song's throat as she tried her best not to snap the snow leopardess' neck.

"Fine!", Tigress whispered."But he'll be blindfolded. He will NOT know you were involved."

Song glared at Tigress, but her eyes showed a glint of joy in them. She pointed to Tigress' paw so that she could respond. Tigress lowered her paw."I don't think that's going to work. See, I'm a virgin. He'll know it isn't you."

_Damn it, she's right!_, thought Tigress. But she growled."He'll just have to barrel into you. He won't really notice if you keep your trap shut."

"Hmmm. That's very tempting, but I want it to be gentle. Besides, just Po wasn't part of the deal. I want to see the look in your eyes when he takes me.", she smirked evilly, but the smirk faded as Tigress' grip on her throat tightened.

"You cunt, I should kill you right now!", Tigress whispered with hatred in her eyes.

Song coughed a little and smirked again,"Yeah, but you won't..."

Tigress growled more and loosened her grip on Song's throat. She sighed."Fine. But let me talk to Po first. And I want ground rules."

"That's fair.", Song said with her paws up defensively.

"First, no kissing him. Second, no hugging him. And third. And I will kill you on the spot if you let this happen. He does NOT finish inside you! Is. That. Clear?", she pointed a claw to Song with the three last words. Song blushed with a nod and Tigress let go of her before walking back to the campsite. She felt like crying. This was a nightmare. And she was orchestrating it.

Tigress walked through the campsite and sat down infront of the fire. Viper slithered up to her sister and looked up at her sadly. Tigress looked back at the snake. She wanted so much to cry and hug her sister, but she couldn't right now. So as soon as she saw Viper's eyes, she looked back down at the ground in shame and sadness. Obviously Viper had heard the whole thing as she patted Tigress' leg and rubbed it softly. She whispered an 'I'm sorry', before laying her tail back down as Po handed everyone their plates, looking especially worried at Tigress when he gave her hers, and he sat down next to her.

Po had made steamed dumplings, brocolli and teriaki chicken. Everyone except Po was laughing and cutting up during the meal. Song was even laughing. But Tigress stayed silent. She ate her meal. She kept her eyes to the ground. And when Po had finally finished eating, she stood up, grabbed him by the arm, dragged him to his feet, and pulled him into their tent, tying up the entrance behind them and leaving a very confused bunch outside.

"Tigress, what are y-", her kiss interupted him. She broke the kiss and looked at his wide yet confused grin.

"Po, do you trust me?"

"With all my heart, Tigress. Why?"

"We...have a problem."

"Oh, no, did you throw away my action figures?"

"What? No! I mean, I _wish_ that was the problem."

Po whistled."Wow. This must be bad then.", he sat down infront of her, taking her hand in his as she sat in his lap and nodded as she started to cry, clinging to Po with her head in his chest."Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's wrong baby?"

Tigress' ear twitched as she could hear someone's presence outside their tent and she sniffled before turning her head to the side and called out,"Viper?"

"I know, I know! Come on guys, give them some alone time! Let's go for a walk!", she heard Viper say, followed by everyone else grumbling a bit as many footsteps faded away into the distance.

Tigress brought her head back to Po's chest. He rubbed her back as he spoke in a soft tone,"Okay, now why don't you tell me what happened?"

"It's not what happened, it's what's going to happen."

"Baby, if you're worried that I'll get hurt on the trip, then I'll be extra careful."

Tigress shook her head and broke the hug a bit to look up at him."That's not it, though you'd better."

"Then what is it?"

She looked down shamfully."You remember that debt I owe to Song? The favor?"

Po, with a hint of worry in his voice, spoke,"Yeah? Did you two figure out a way for you to repay her?"

Tigress nodded slightly while looking down, not daring to look at him.

"What did you figure out?"

"Well remember what we were talking about in the bathhouse?", she said sheepishly. She shut her eyes tightly, tensed up, and flattened her ears against her head as she awaited the inevitable.

The others had just gotten past the mile mark away from their camp when they heard a yell that made them all jump in fear.

"WHAT THE HELL? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? You're using me like a-...a-"

"Bartering toy?", she said quietly.

"YEAH! THAT! Whatever THAT is! I DONT WANT TO DO THIS!", he growled, and clinched his fists.

"Po, it's not like this is what I wanted! But she was blackmailing us, mainly me!"

Po's eyes were filled with anger, but they softened some as he saw her crying again. He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. He murmured."Will you at least be there?"

She looked him straight in the eyes."Definitely. And there are ground rules."

"Well then I wanna add some!", he brought out a finger for each rule,"No hugging, no kissing, and I'm not getting off in her. I dont want to get her pregnant! Got it?"

Tigress almost smiled. Almost. She nodded and hugged him tight."I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, honey. I am too.", he hugged back. As they broke the hug, Tigress turned around and untied the tent before coming out with Po behind her. The others came back a few minutes later.

"What the hell was that all about?", said Crane.

"Uh, we were just...talking.", said Po as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Really? Cus it sounded more like an argument.", Monkey said as he eyed the two. Before Tigress opened her mouth to speak, Viper butted in.

"Guys, we all have our little spats, okay? Don't we have better things to do rather than asking about every little thing _they_ do? Now let's get to bed, all of you.", she huffed.

Mantis puffed out his chest,"Well, I wasn't curious at all! Good luck guys, but I'm above all that stuff! Night all", he said while walking back to his tent to do...absolutely nothing.

Crane chuckled,"Yeah besides, everyone knew this relationship was coming anyway, we shouldve prepared for it. G'night!", he walked into his tent.

Monkey sighed and grabbed his head."I need a drink. See ya.", he walked back to his own tent.

Viper glared at Song."I think you should be ashamed of yourself.", she said as she went to her tent.

Song looked at the two that stayed and smirked, obviously not ashamed. She was getting what she wanted."So? When are we gonna do this?"

Po looked away to the distant trees to his right, his face full of anger. Tigress growled."When we reach the next town. I wanna get this over with.", she turned around and went back to her and Po's tent.

Po looked at Song. She was still smirking and the angry glow of the fire made her look devious. He spoke quietly, but they hurt her even more because of his calmness."I hope you're proud of yourself. You're trading what I thought was a good friendship for a night of sordid passion.", he turned around to walk towards his tent where Tigress was waiting for him, but he stopped when Song spoke up.

"W-w-wait, what do you mean?", she said worriedly. her smirk was replaced with a frown.

Po turned around to look at her, his eyes emotionless and dead. He resembled Tigress quite a bit now. He never knew why Tigress had that look in her eye when she was extrememly upset. But now he did. She didn't want to feel anyhing towards the person she looked at with those eyes. And he was using the look now.

Song gasped as she saw his face and backed up a little as he spoke."From this point onward, you and I are no longer friends.", he turned into the tent as Tigress looked at Song while holding open the tent flap for her male. Song looked shocked and frozen. She just stood there, staring. She didnt look upset, she didnt look sad, she just stood there. As if she was waiting for him to come out and say 'fooled ya'. Tigress glared at Song one last time.

"You're staying watch. Wake up Crane after midnight.", she said and turned into the tent as well before tying it up.

Song stood there. And stood there. And stood there. She stood there for hours. It wasn't until her legs collapsed under her until she showed any signs of emotion. She coughed from the dirt that had entered her mouth, then she clenched the ground she laid under, and she cried. And before she could stop herself, she cried herself to sleep.

Song woke up the next morning to a scream. Her own scream as a foot kicked her in the side. She opened her eyes and saw the six warriors looking down at her. Then she realized that Po was the one who had kicked her.

"Good, she's alive. I'll get breakfast ready.", he walked out of her sight as the others still stood over her.

"S-sorry everyone. I accidently fell asleep.", she said as she sat up. The others just shook their heads and walked over to the now dying campfire, the tents already packed up.

Viper however stood there and whispered to her,"Song, what the hell is going on with you? You were such a sweet girl. But now look at you! You're blackmailing Tigress, and now this?"

Song hugged herself and looked away, mumbling."Sorry."

"Is that all you've got to say for yourself?"

"I don't think you'd accept my answer if I gave it."

Viper eyed Song for a second."Well, lets hear it anyway."

Song looked at Viper and blushed very hard. She looked around to make sure no one was watching them, then spoke quietly, almost mouthing the words."I'm in my first heat, okay?"

Viper blinked and cleared her throat a bit softly."Oh. Oh, I see. How old are you exactly?"

"Twenty-four..."

"Okay, either I'm losing my hearing or you're lying."

"I told you you wouldn't except my answer...", she sighed."I'm a 'late bloomer'."

"A 'late late bloomer', to be exact. How does this happen?"

"If I knew, I'd tell you!", Song sniffled."My life is such shit right now. I thought that...maybe, if I could lose my virginity to Po, then everything would be a lot better."

"I don't follow your logic, Song.", aid Viper, looking confused.

"If...if I could just feel that rush of what it's like to be held by the one you love and mating with them at the same time...then for just a little while, my life wouldn't feel so aweful.", she slammed her fist into the ground.

"But you aren't going to do any good by doing this with Po and Tigr-"

"I don't care! I've dealt with a lot of shit lately, I deserve to be selfish", she sobbed some.

"You know Song, you seem to have a bad life, but I'm getting sick of seeing you cry. Go fuck Po and get it over with, then maybe you'll stop being such a basket case.", Viper said slithering away.

"Screw you, Viper.", she choked out quietly, knowing full well that the snake could hear her.

Meanwhile at the Jade Palace, Shifu had finally woken up and was patrolling the grounds in anger as he sent all of the Palace servants away for the day. He came upon the Sacred Peach Tree and sighed softly, but he jumped in suprise as he saw a freshly dug grave shift and rumble. Before he could think to wonder why there was a dead body on the Palace grounds, the monkey's hand raised up out of the ground. And to Shifu's horror, his entire upper half was sitting up above the ground. His eyes were glowing red and pink as he stared straight ahead. His voice was unnaturally feminine. As if this was natural in the first place.

"Shifu, my pet. Why are you angry?"

"Master! It is you!", Shifu rushed over to the undead monkey and knelt down."B-because, master. The Dragon Warrior has brainwashed the Furious Five and they are on their way to a large city to defend a place you plan on attacking."

"What? Why havent you told me this sooner?"

"Well you see master, I was forcebly sedated and couldn't contact you."

"You imbecile! You could have easily went into your Inner Peace while you slept and allowed your mind to travel to me! Thats why I gave you that blasted stone!", the undead monkey growled angrily.

"M-my apologies, Master.", Shifu bowed his head."But...it seems that...I have lost my Inner Peace..."

The monkey huffed and rubbed its chin with its fingers."Nothing we can do about it now. When did they leave?"

"Yesterday morning, Master. Should I give chase?"

"How are they getting there? Do they have a map to the city?"

Shifu shook his head."No, Master, they have a guide. Her name is Song. She has been a good friend of the Dragon Warrior for months."

"Hmmm. Song. I think I sent some of my low level guards to hunt that street urchin down. Guess they failed. Especially seeing as I'm possessing the body of that wretched Thread Spinner.", the monkey sighed."I suppose it will have to do for now." The monkey put its paw to the opened up throat and slid it's finger over the opening, sealing it with a hiss and a sizzle."No matter how useless he was, he still seems to have his uses in death. Huh. Guess we'll just have to wait and see how you turn out, Shifu.", the monkey stood up out of the ground and stretch, it's dead flesh falling off and being replaced with a red and pink glow to cover up any wounds or imperfections in the temporary body.

Shifu grimaced slightly and attempted to tug under his robes at the stone the hung around his neck while the monkey was ranting, only to jerk in pain as the stone sent an electric current through his hand.

"Now, now, Shifu. Are you attempting to resist again? You know that never works. You've been my pawn since we met in Gongmen City, and it will stay that way until the day you die.", the monkey gave a malicious grin as it walked up to the Sacred Peach Tree, plucked one and took a bite.

Shifu looked down at the ground in shame, trying desprately to think of a way to get out of her control.

"Yes...Master.."


	12. Chapter 12: Mistakes Were Made

Chapter 12: Mistakes Were Made

Tigress and Po held hands the entire way to the next town. No one asked them why, they figured it just had something to do with their fight. And with Viper's scolding, they weren't about to pry anymore. The day was bright and sunny, and the wind was gentle and carressing everyone's skin. It was a very enjoyable day, for those who had reason to enjoy it.

As they walked into the town, Po looked at Tigress, sadness covering his face. It killed Tigress inside to see him like that. But there was nothing she could do. And that killed her even more inside. The villiagers that saw the group rushed to their side, with children roaring with cheers and adults shaking their paws and bowing in respect. They signed autographs, but only Crane, Mantis and Monkey actually told stories and socialized with the villagers.

Tigress, Po and Song walked away from the crowd as subtly as possible towards the local hotel. An awkward and painful silence surrounded them as Po went into the lobby to sign for a room. Tigress and Song stood there. Song was almost tempted to say something to Tigress about why she was doing this, but Po came back out before she could speak. He led them to the room and closed the door after they entered. They put down their bags.

Po mumbled while looking at the lamp in the corner of the room."So how did you want to do this?"

Tigress sat on the bed. She was on the verge of tears, but kept them inside.

Song rubbed her paw over Po's chest and purred, but Po wouldn't look at her. She pressed her midsection into Po's and began to rub against him. Po wanted to vomit, but his male instinct kicked in as he became erect from the attention.

"Mmm. Someone's ready. That was quick", she said and began to undress herself. She looked over to Tigress, who was staring at the floor."You had better get ready, Tigress, or am I going to have this big boy all to myself?"

Tigress snarled under her breath and began to undress.

Song, after getting undressed, slid Po's shorts down off of him and purred loudly in lust as she saw his pride. She knelt down and began to service him softly. Po did his best to not let any sounds of pleasure escape his lips. After it started to become unbearable to keep from moaning, he pinched one of his stitches softly, the pain graciously distracting him.

Tigress stood beside Po and hugged him tightly as Po hugged back. She kissed him softly and whispered,"I know this is hard for you to handle, love. Just please think of me."

Po smiled a little at her."That...that was the plan.", he whispered.

Song grew annoyed from the lack of attention she was getting, so she stopped sucking and stood up before walking over to the bed and crawling to the middle on her hands and knees, lifting her tail and looking back at the two."Come on, Po. Take me."

Po blushed. He hated to admit it, but Song was hot. He looked down at Tigress, who held his hand tightly. She walked with him to the bed as Po knelt on the bed behind Song and Tigress knelt beside her. Po hesitated, but he slowly and gently grabbed her hips, to which she immediately purred.

Po slid his pride into Song, his eyes shut tightly and he turned his head to the side as he didn't want to watch at what he was about to do. This couldn't keep him from hearing Song's moans, however. And it couldn't keep him from feeling the pleasure around his member. As he felt her hymen in his way, he opened his eyes and looked at Tigress, who had let a few tears slip out. He mouthed,"I'm sorry" to her, and she nodded quickly and looked away.

Po rammed into her, busting her hymen as Song hissed and tore at the sheets. Po didn't stop to let her get used to the feeling. He wanted to get this over with, and quick. Song was starting to moan as she let her bare chest rest on the bed along with her arms. Tigress, who saw Po's pained face, scooted over to him and hugged his arm, keeping her eyes closed the entire time.

Po bit his lip, panting from the pleasure. This was going to feel good, there was nothing anyone could do about that. So he imagined that he was with Tigress. So he slowed down and made gentler, sweeter motions.

Song kept her eyes closed like Tigress, but she was doing it to enjoy the feeling of Po inside her even more. She was in absolute heaven as Po's member stroked and slid around inside her. She pressed back against his hips as her pleasure heightened, causing her to mewl.

Song looked behind her, noticing that Tigress was doing nothing but holding Po's arm and buring her face into his shoulder. Song scowled, but said lustfully,"Now Tigress, this wouldn't be a threesome without you. So come on. Join in."

Tigress tightened her hold on Po's arm for a minute, but let go and crawled over by Song's front and knelt there. She murmured shamefully."What do you want me to d-oh!", Tigress blushed and looked down with a gag as Song had started to lick and kiss at her sensative flesh.

Tigress grabbed Song' shoulders in an attempt to push her away, but she hesitated. the feeling was actually heavenly. Tigress bit her tongue to keep from moaning. Her ears flattened against her head as she leaned gently onto Song's back, trembling at the feeling she was receiving. But just as she was on the verge of release, Song stopped.

Before Tigress could stop herself, she blurted out,"Why did you stop?", she covered her mouth and blushed. Song smirked. She had them both right where she wanted them.

"If you start doing the same for me, I'll continue.", she said as she raised up onto her knees, wrappping an arm back around Po's neck and looking at Tigress, Po trying to jerk his head away slightly. Tigress was feeling so ashamed at their actions, but this was going to happen wether they liked it or not. She might as well get something out of it.

Tigress laid on her back under Song as Song got on her elbows again and began to lick at Tigress' area again as Tigress did the same for her, simultaneously licking Po's pride much to her pleasure.

Po and Tigress both started to moan immediately as they felt each other and continued. That along with Song's moans made for an interesting sound.

Meanwhile, Crane, Mantis and Monkey were looking for Po, Tigress and Song, much to Viper's aggravation. She couldn't think of a lie that involved the three and tried her best to convince the others that it wasn't a big deal. But Monkey stated that they might be in danger, which Viper had no response to. Viper was behind the three as she could start to hear Po, Tigress, and Song's sounds of passion. Blushing, she realized they were just around the corner of a hotel and were standing on one end of the line of rooms.

"He-hey, guys? I'm sure they're fine, let's just go get something to eat! I'm sure Po's stuffing his face right now after the long walk we had, so we'll see them at the restaurants!"

Mantis was about to agree with Viper, but stopped as he heard the sound himself."What the hell?", he said as he hopped over to the door that the three were behind. He put his antenae against the door and blushed visibly. He looked at Viper, who shook her head frantically at him."Uh, uh, yeah! Let's just...go to the restaurant! Yeah, come on!", he started to hop away, but Monkey grabbed the bug and listened in as did Crane. They heard moans, but what really interested them were the lover's choice of words, and the voices they easily recognised.

"Oh! Po!", said Tigress with a moan

"Tigress!", moaned Po as he panted.

"That's it Po! Faster!", purred Song.

Monkey's eyes widened and he chuckled softly with a whisper,"No way! I don't believe this!"

Crane just blushed and looked acrossed the street, trying not to think about it.

Viper sighed frustratedly."Okay, please dont blow this out of proportion, _please_!"

"You knew about this?", said Monkey.

"Just be quiet, I don't want them to hear us!", she said in a hushed tone.

The conversation couldn't be heard over the moans of Po, Tigress and Song.

Po was going nuts. He went faster and faster."Oh God, I'm almost there!"

Tigress pulled Po out of Song and proceeded to take Po into her mouth, but Song spun around and stubbornly laid on Tigress, pinning her down. Tigress growled at Song. Po just knelt there panting, still just barely at his peak. He looked down at them. Po blushed from his own words, but he couldn't help but say them,"Come on girls, work together here. I was so close..."

The two females blushed and started to lick Po's pride together. Tigress reached up and stroked him as Song purred at his tip.

Po groaned in pleasure as he released onto Tigress and Song. Song began greedily licking off of Tigress' face, but Tigress pushed her off and started to clean herself."You have your share."

Po's face was a deep red from the two and sighed. It was over and they would never have to talk about it again. He got up and got dressed. After they finished 'cleaning' their faces off, the girls followed suit.

Po opened the door and almost fainted as he saw the others just staring at him. He blushed a bit, and walked outside, then Tigress, then Song. The confirmation was too much for Monkey as he blurted out with a chuckle,"Dude! Awesome job, you dog!"

Po turned around and looked at Monkey and gave him a 'shut-the-fuck-up' look before walking to the lobby, looking...not angry, but annoyed.

Tigress looked at Viper. She nodded over her shoulder so that Viper would follow her when she walked away. Which she did.

The others just stood there."Why the hell does everyone keep doing that? Is it us? Do we smell or something?", Mantis said before sniffing himself.

"Okay Mantis, go talk to Po then. Frankly, I'm glad they don't ask us to talk. I get sick of the dramatic shit.", said Crane as he rustled through his bags. Mantis shrugged and hopped off of Monkey's shoulder before hopping towards the lobby. While not looking up, Crane spoke."Hey Song, Po said something about the possibility of houses costing a lot of money in the city, is that true?"

Song blinked a bit, then her ears lowered sadly as she nodded."Yeah. They're like more than double than the prices in the Valley of Peace."

"We'll have to sell some of our stuff then. Time to get to painting.", he took out his caligraphy set and got to work.

As Mantis strolled into the lobby, he saw the fluffy panda sitting on a bench with his head in his paws and his elbows on his knees. He looked mentally exausted. Mantis sighed softly and hopped onto the bench beside Po.

"How's it goin', big guy?", he didn't say this in an enthusiastic and obnoxious sort of way. He sounded comforting and gentle. Po looked at the bug sitting to his left and forced a smile.

"Hey man. Just thinking.", he lowered his paws and leaned back against the wall with a sigh.

Mantis was uncomfortable. He was used to having to deal with emotional drama, but he wasn't used to silence and talking without including a joke. But if he was ever going to help his buddy, he thought, he needed to suck it up. He looked towards the adjacent wall and tapped one of his feet a bit."So, uh...what happened back there in the hotel room, did it really just happen?"

Po shrugged and mumbled."Yeah, so?"

Mantis' male istinct wanted to give Po a high-five for his accomplishment, but by the looks of Po's reaction to Monkey's comment, Po wasn't happy about the situation, and it was obvious now when Po spoke about it.

"Sorry for being so nosey, but you don't seem too cool with it. Most guys would kill for a chance at something like that, especially with girls like Tigress and Song.", Mantis flinched a bit as he heard his own words, then looked up at Po, who seemed highly irritated. Much to Mantis' suprise, Po didn't kill him.

"I know, I know, Mantis. But think about it. Tigress is the most extreme girl in the world, and is obviously possessive. Not that I'm complaining.", he murmered that last part, then looked straight into Mantis' eyes."Tell me something. Do you think Tigress would be the type to want to have anything to do with this?"

Mantis blinked a few times and thought for a minute."Well...I guess not? But if that's true, then why did you guys actually go through with it?", he eyed Po confusedly.

Po involuntarily jerked a bit and gripped his paws together. The fact swarming around in his brain. He tried to think of a way to tell Mantis without saying what happened with Tigress and Song. Mantis could see Po's conflicted face and patted him on the leg."Listen man, you don't have to say a thing. I can tell that this is really hurting you. Just know that I'm here for ya. And if you decide to tell me, I won't tell a soul.", Mantis smiled.

Po nodded and sighed."Okay.", he looked around the lobby. There was an old goat cleaning the windows, and she apparently wasn't listening. But Po wanted to be sure, so he leaned in and whispered to Mantis. He told Mantis about Wu Ji and his death, then his and Tigress' discussion on how to deal with Song, the part about Tigress and Viper paralyzing Song when they meant to knock her out, the argument with Song, and when Tigress told Po about what they had to do.

Mantis' antenaes twitched uncontrollably for a few seconds. He looked back at the door, then at Po. He looked sad."Wow, man. That's just..."

"Messed up...yeah."

"Well that wasn't right. Sure, Tigress and Viper screwed up, and by exstension so did _you_, but that was a total low blow. Well, at least it's over with, right?", the bug looked up at Po hopefully, but when he just glanced and shrugged, Mantis' eyes widened."Don't tell me you'll have to do it again!"

"No, no, that's not it. It's just...", Po put himself in the same position as when Mantis arrived,"How can I look at the love of my life in the eyes and say I love you to her without feeling so guilty?", he slammed his fist into his leg to keep himself from crying, but it didn't help in the least. His heavy tears dropped onto the floor as he visibly shook.

Mantis hopped onto Po's shoulder and hugged the panda's neck."I'm sorry, bro. You shouldn't be having to dealing with this. And I dunno what you should say or do, I'm no good at this kind of thing. All I know is that Tigress loves you more than she's ever loved _anyone_. And this was more her fault than yours. And if she doesn't forgive you even then, well...let's try not to think about it."

Po shuddered."Yeah. Thanks, buddy.", he got up and wiped his eyes.

"So you feel better?"

"Nope. You really aren't too good at this.", Po chuckled.

Mantis laughed."Yeah, guess not."

Po walked out of the lobby with Mantis on his shoulder when they heard a scream. Po and Mantis looked around for the source."Was that Viper?", said Mantis.

"Let's hope not!", he ran very fast down the street as Mantis clung to his fur.

Po rushed past the villiagers that ran in the opposite direction in fear. They wondered what could possibly scare so many people. They turned the corner. They got their answer. They stopped dead in their tracks as a massive Vampire Bat stood in the street. He stood at a whopping twenty feet tall. His fur was grey, his body was giant but gaunt, and his eyes were souless. He was holding something in his claw. Someone. It was Tigress, who was struggling in the gigantic creature's clutches. Viper was laying on the ground unconcious under a small crater that had been formed in the side of a building.

"Viper!", Mantis rushed to her side and started pressing into her pressure points to assess the damage.

Po saw Tigress in the creature's claw and growled. He walked up to the bat as he spoke, his voice calm but deadly."Hey ugly. Let her go.", he stopped a few feet from the bat when the bat let out a loud screech, causing Tigress' ears to flattened as she yelled in pain. The shriek actually woke Viper up as she yelled in pain as well. Apparently their acute hearing wasn't helping against this foe.

Tigress panted after the bat stopped his shriek."Hey Po, mind doing me a favor? Either kill the son of a bitch or bust my head through a wall!", she yelled.

Po furrowed his eyebrows and set down the pack filled with his things. Without looking away from them, he took out a group of short swords. They were about eight inches long and slightly curved, they looked like fangs, and the handles were solid black with red diamonds.

"I said...", he jumped up high until he was at eye level with the beast, then performing a group of kicks to it's snout."Let! Her! GO!"he slammed two swords into it's mouth the last word, clenching it's mouth shut as it tried to scream. Po, on his way down, stabbed the creature in the chest with a sword, then one in the stomach, then he kicked off of the handle and stabbed one into the base of it's wing where it connected to the body, causing it to let Tigress go. He finalled tore off the bat's wing while slicing down with the dagger and stabbing into it's left foot, landing before Tigress landed on her feet.

Po panted as the bat tried to scream and thrash around before falling to the ground in a pond of blood. He looked at Tigress, still panting."You alright, hun?"

He raised a brow as she just stared at him. he waved an empty paw over her eyes."Hellooooo?", he looked at Viper and Mantis, who were giving him the same look."What?", he blinked for a couple seconds as they still said nothing."What?"

"Po, how did you move like that?", Tigress said sounding amazed.

"Move like what? The flipping or..?"

"She means your speed, Po.", Viper smiled."No one has seen your speed increase like that in actual battle. I told you guys that he's been getting faster!", she said to Tigress and Mantis excitedly.

"Yes, but this was much too fast to be from training with you and Mantis. Po, do you know how long it took you to take down that thing?", she said staring at him, a hint of pride and concern in her voice.

"I dunno, a couple minutes?"

"A couple seconds.", Tigress said without missing a beat.

"No way! That's so cool! But how?", Po said.

"If I were to guess, I'd say it was because Tigress was in trouble.", said Mantis.

"Wow, Mantis, I'm proud of you. You didn't make a perverted joke.", Viper said smiling. Mantis just chuckled to himself and rubbed the back of his head nervously.

Tigress smiled at Po and kissed his cheek as she hugged his left arm."Well, I guess I should be glad that I've got my knight in shining armor with me all the time.", she purred and laid her head on his shoulder.

"So...you forgive me?"

"Forgive y-", she was cut off by Mantis whispering in her ear. She then punched him gently in the chest.

"Ow?", he rubbed the spot.

"You're such an idiot sometimes. That was my fault. Okay?"

"I still suggested it.", he mumbled.

Tigress sighed."Okay, then we're both to blame. And I forgive you. Happy?"

Po nodded and grinned, she laughed and hugged him.

All four of them turned around to see the dead bat spilling it's blood all over the streets.

"What are we gonna do with _him_?", said Mantis.

"I dunno, what did the Valley of Peace do when we killed bandits and other criminals?", said Po.

"_We_ did the cleanup while _you_ always made some excuse like 'I need to go make supper' or some shit.", Tigress said in an annoyed tone, but she had a smirk on her face.

"Uh...", he laughed a bit."Yeah, sorry. But we don't defend this place like we did in the Valley, so what should we do now?"

"Good question.", she thought for a minute."Bonfire?"

Everyone blinked.

That night, at the bonfire.

The huge crowd of people had gathered where they saw the monster burn. Drinks were served, food was eaten, and stories were told as they celebrated the heroes that saved their town.

The Five, Po, and Song all sat on logs around their own fire, which was about thirty feet away from the actual bonfire. They were grateful to have some privacy.

"I still don't see why you couldn't have asked for us to come help, it would've been fun!", said Monkey, who had just taken his third shot of sake.

Mantis was eating quietly to everyone's suprise, but they were grateful for the peace and quiet. Viper sat next to him and ate as well, but Monkey's idiotic sentence made her speak."Yeah, if you call getting thrown into a wall at mach speed then being woken up by an ear peircing screech fun, then it was awesome!"

"Well I'm just glad that my hero showed up.", said Tigress as she kissed Po softly and purred. He smiled at her and continued on his work.

"Yeah, well _I'm_ just glad that everyone's safe.", he said while cleaning off another one of his swords.

"You couldn't have killed him any closer to the field though? My back is killing me!", said Crane as he rubbed his back. Viper rolled her eyes.

"At least ya didn't have to cut the bastard up just so he _could_ be moved.", mumbled Po, who had just put his swords back into his bags. Tigress smiled and leaned against him.

Song fidgeted with her food. She wasn't hungry. When she wasn't poking at her food, she kept glancing at Po and Tigress with an inaudible sigh. After a few minutes of listening to everyone talking, she decided to speak up.

"Hey, everybody?", she said sheepishly. The Five and Po looked at her as they stopped what they were doing. She stood up and cleared her throat."Can I say something?"

"I don't see why not, you've gotten everything _else_ you wanted.", Tigress mumbled.

Song looked down."I know that my behavior these past couple of days have been undeniably rude at best. And you all have every right to hate me. Especially you two.", she looked at Po and Tigress, who just listened,"I wanted to apologize. You see, I blackmailed Tigress into letting me be with her and Po earlier today. I'm very ashamed of myself, but I need you all to understand why it is that I acted like this."

"You've been in heat, but that's not a good enough of an excuse.", said Viper.

"That's not all. That was just the last straw. The Ladies Of Shade abandoned me after I tried to get them to turn their lives around for good. So I travelled to find a home, and I found the city, but I...I really don't work for the king of my city...I'm homeless. No job, no money, no friends or family. I only chose to live there because I was told that it was safe. And it is."

Tigress growled,"So that letter was fake?"

"Yes, Tigress, but I made that. I just wanted to use that as a lie to make Shifu let you and Po be together.", said Viper.

"But my story was the absolute truth.", said Song.

Po sighed and looked at Tigress."What do you think?"

Tigress glared at Song while narrowing her eyes. Song looked nervous. Her tail was twitching, but that was natural. Her eyes were misty so she was certainly upset and regretted her actions. Her frown was pulled inward, meaning she was holding back her pain. Tigress sighed this time. She was telling the truth, and sincerely at that.

"I will never forgive her for what she's done. But...I think she can still be trusted."

Po nodded."I just want us to be friends again and forget about all this."

Song cried a bit and smiled,"Oh Po, that's what I'm wanting too.", she started to walk over and give Po a hug, but Po lifted a paw, stopping her in her tracks.

"I...I know, Song. But it's gonna take a little time until we're at that point."

Song nodded gently and put her hands down infront of her."I understand."

The celebrations died down slowly throughout the night for the villiagers, but the seven warriors went back into the town and got a few hotel rooms, making sure none of them were the same room used earlier that day. They got three rooms. One for Po and Tigress, one for Song and Viper, and one for Crane, Mantis and Monkey. No one complained as the beds were more comfortable than anything theyd ever slept on.

But as they slept in their rooms in comfort, the distant sounds of screeching could be heard in the air. Ten thousand feet above them, a hoard of giant bats floated and stared down. The biggest one, who had brown fur and a black mane, let out a loud, bellowing call. It caused the others to fly away and before he followed them he stared at the charred remains.

_Do not worry, father. You will not have died in vain._, thought the bat before flying after the hoard.


	13. Chapter 13: Matted Fur, Air Dried

Chapter 13: Matted Fur, Air Dried

The night was silent. The only lights still about were the smoldering ashes of the dead monster, and the tiny stars that were now fading from the appearance of the clouds that were rolling in. All of the villiagers had finally went home, full of food and empty of brain cells. The gentle wind brushed over the walls of the buildings in the town, causing a soft groan in the wooden shutters across each home. Suddenly, a light appeared from the local hotel. A candlelight was now lit in the windowsill of the room where a bug now stood.

Mantis was a complicated Master to say the least. For years he has mastered his own style with speed, patience and precision. As the smallest of the Five, he always had the aching feeling that he was never taken as seriously as the others. And being the lighthearted male that he was, he always covered up his insecurities with a joke. But lately, with all the drama that had been going on, with Po and the girls, leaving the Jade Palace, he didn't have the heart to crack even the slightest of jokes.

Mantis sighed as he watched the stars vanish from the dark clouds. He hopped off of windowsill, quietly opened and closed the door as not to wake Monkey or Crane, and walked outside. He stopped in the middle of the street, the flash of light in the sky and following rumble not phasing him in the least. He sighed again and closed his eyes, getting into a defensive stance.

The rain gradually began to fall around him, until one drop came within inches of him, but suddenly within the blink of an eye it split in two, completely missing the bug. Mantis quickly turned into a blur as he sliced into ever drop in his perimeter, defending the last remaining dry ground in the street. He allowed himself a few small 'hyah's' from his accomplishments as he spun and sliced in a circle.

Viper stirred in her bed, trying to stay asleep. Her beauty sleep was important to her, and it was almost a sacred institution to her. But as the Kung Fu sounds kept entering her mind and depriving her of continued sleep, she groaned and sat up, looking out the window to see who was keeping her from her dreams. The falling rain obscured her view of the bug, but she could tell that it was Mantis who was making the noise. No one else could move that quickly in such a small space. She sighed and grabbed an umbrella before slithering out of the door quietly to keep Song from waking up. She flinched slightly as the cold water hit her, so she quickly opened up the umbrella.

Mantis had his eyes closed as the sounds of falling water had filled his mind. He could hear the sound reverberating against the ground before he would silence the sound and send it into two different spots outside of his precious circle. The rain was getting heavier and fell faster, so he amped up his speed, he panted a bit through his nostrils and sliced faster. But then, standing in the middle of his circle, he stopped moving alltogether. The rain had stopped hitting his circle. He knew that the rain was still falling, he could hear it. But it was hitting a surface almost a foot above him. He opened his eyes and looked up to see an aggravated and somewhat concerned snake staring down at him, an umbrella held by her tail.

Once he saw her he blushed at her stare. To him, she was the most beautiful thing in the world. The way she swirled and swerved, the way the blossoms on her head seemed to wave at him when she flipped in the air. And she was so nice and sweet. She never wanted to see anyone hurt and was always the first to defend a person in their time of need. Mantis had always admired and was somewhat jealous of her talents, both physical and emotional. Before he could stop himself, he blurted out a joke.

"Hey, what's a beautiful thing like you doin' in a place like this?",he cleared his throat and looked down to hide his blushing face as he rubbed the back of his head.

Viper giggled and blushed a bit. He knew how much her beauty meant to her. She smiled when she giggled, but it faded some when she looked at Mantis.

"Mantis, what are you doing out here? You'll catch a cold!", the snake hissed a bit from her concern.

Mantis laughed a bit,"Ehhhh, just...ya know...trainin.", he patted the dry ground with his foot, causing a bit of dirt to cloud up around him.

Viper sighed,"Mantis, you know that's not what I meant."

"Yeah, I know...I guess I was just thinking...", he shrugged.

"About?"

"Eh, it's not important."

"Well, it's obviously more important than you getting sick!", she hissed again.

Mantis flinched,"Well...I guess I'm feeling a little jealous...of Po."

Viper gave him a weird look, then hissed again with a blush,"You mean about the threesome? And here I thought you were maturing!", she turned to slither back to her room.

"No! That's not why I'm jealous!", she stopped and turned around again to see the now soaked Mantis.

"Then why could you possibly be so jealous of him?", she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I-I'm jealous because...he's so happy. He's tall, he's the Dragon Warrior, he's got the girl of his dreams...", he blushed and looked away.

Viper's tongue flicked in curiosity as she ever so slowly slithered back to him, studying him."You're lying...at least for the most part. You've made peace with your size, even if you still wish to be big. And we were all disappointed at not becoming the Dragon Warrior, and you seemed almost relieved to not receive the responsibility. So the only thing you couldn't be lying about...", she stopped within an inch of him, staring down at him. He looked up at her, her eyes were misty as she frowned."You're...in love..."

Mantis blushed,"W-well, I wouldn't call it love. But...well, maybe, yeah. It just might be love. I can't stop thinking about her..."

Viper looked crestfallen, but she looked angry as well, tears building up in her eyes,"Well who is it? Song? That bitch that dances in the streets in skimpy outfits back in the Valley?"

Mantis just looked at her, his face was red but he looked at her dead in the eyes, not saying anything. She stared back. She felt his eyes gazing into hers. And slowly, as realization creeped into her being, her face softened as her cheeks became redder and redder. She looked shocked. her heart was beating fast, and she felt like it would jump out of her chest at any moment. She panted a bit and couldn't speak.

After a few minutes of just staring, she finally managed to let out a squeaky stammer,"Y-you mean, wha-...how di...has..."

Mantis frowned and looked away. He was being rejected, he had upset her.,"I'm sorry, Viper. Let's just...forget I said anything.", he began to walk around the snake, but she dropped her umbrella infront of him. He looked at her,"Viper?"

She quickly reached down and kissed him, her cheeks as red as his were. He kissed back after a few seconds of suprise. She broke the kiss and smiled at him, speaking softly,"I don't know about love yet, Mantis. But my heart has been feeling much safer with you lately. And I think it's time I let you take control of it for a little while."

Mantis was a bit disappointed that she didn't love him back. Hell, he was almost heartbroken. But she was romantically interested in him and that was enough for him for now,"So are we officially...together now?"

She giggled and nodded. Mantis just jumped up about fifty feet, flipping so many times even he couldn't count. He landed and chuckled."Sorry, I'm just happy."

"Naw, really?", she said and laughed softly. She grabbed her umbrella and closed it. There was no point now, they were both soaked. They walked together to Viper's room door and he stood infront of her, smiling.

"Well..."

"Well..."

"Goodnight.", they both said at the same time, they then laughed a bit, then shared another kiss. Viper slid back inside to dry off and go back to sleep. Mantis hopped over to his own room. He went back inside quietly, hopped back up to the windowsill and sighed as he felt the warmth of the candle drying him. He laid down and slowly went to sleep, listening to the rain contnue to fall.

That next morning, everyone seemed to be in a good mood, especially Mantis and Viper, dispite the fact that it was raining. The group had checked out of the hotel and went to one of the restaurants to have breakfast and plan the next portion of their trip. It was a small restaurant, but the food was good, and it was very nice inside. It had white tableclothes on the tables, black carpeting, red drapes on the windows and had very fine dishes on every table, which could only hold four people per table. Monkey, Mantis, Viper, and Crane ate at one table. Crane was getting a little irritated with how close Viper was getting to Mantis, but decided to play along for now. Po, Tigress and Song sat at another table with a map splayed out.

"Okay, so if we go through this small chain of towns, stick to the main road, and don't stop all day we should be able to make it to the Quin-Yun Forest by nightfall.", said Song as she stared at the map and used the tip of her claw to point at their route, she was standing at one side of the table, leaning on it with one arm as the other kept pointing.

"How long will it take us to get through the forest?", said Po, who had just finished swallowing a mouthfull of rice and dumplings. He himself was sitting on the other side along with Tigress, who was studying the map as well while leaning on her forearms.

Tigress and Song looked at each other, then at him.

"We won't be going through the forest. We'll have to go around.", Tigress said with determination in her voice.

"Why? It's not like there's some 'evil waiting for us' there.", he laughed lightly, then stopped when they didn't laugh at all and kept staring at him.

"The Quin-Yun Forest is literally filled with hordes upon hordes of gigantic bats, just like 'Mr. Fresh' yesterday. And I'd imagine that they wouldn't exactly be happy with us if we entered their domain."

"'Mr. Fresh'?"

Tigress sighed."He was hitting on me, Po. When I rejected him, he went berserk."

"Ah. Good thing he's dead, then.", he stretched some."So if we aren't going through the Bat Forest of Doom, then how are we getting around it? Seems really big and just plain unnavoidable."

"Sometimes things _seem_ big and unavoidable, but I somehow keep avoiding your-"

"Song!", Tigress growled.

"Sorry, sorry, still in heat.", she sighed and held up her hand in defense, blushing.

Po cleared his throat and looked back at the map. He studied it. When he saw a cave opening in a mountainside on the map, his eyes widened."Uhhh, is that the Wallower's Cave?", he pointed to the spot on the map, which was twenty miles from the edge of the forest.

Song blinked."Well, yes, that's the path we'll be taking. How did you know?"

"We can't go through there, we'll have to find another route.", he said without missing a beat.

"Po, if we don't go into the cave, it'll take us days to-"

"I don't care. We won't be going through."

The females looked at him, confused.

"Girls, just...trust me on this. Please?"

"Well, I don't know why you're so adamant about it, I've already been through there twice.", Song shrugged and sat down, crossing her arms as she leaned back in her chair and looked at him.

Po sighed, and Tigress put her paw on his shoulder."What is it, Po?". Po looked at the cave on the map and brushed a finger lightly over the spot. They females looked at him with concern.

"I shouldn't say, we're in a restaurant. Maybe later, okay?"

"Come on, Po. We'll talk outside in the alley. We need to make sure there's a real reason if we're going to avoid a route that could save us so much time.", at that Tigress took Po's paw and led him outside. Song followed after telling the others that they had to talk about the route in a better light.

They went outside and sat down at an old table that the employees used on their breaks.

"Please go on, Po. We're listening.", said Song with a smile. Po sighed again, and spoke so quietly that they had to lean in closer to hear him. He didn't want anyone else to hear what he was about to say.

"Okay. After we defeated Lord Shen, I went with Master Storming Ox back to the wreckage of Shen's palace. I asked him about Shen and if any pandas could have possibly survived. But what he said just made me sick.

'_Panda, I know you don't want to hear this_', he said.'_But after Shen finished his massacre, Master Oogway sent us to get intel on how many were left. We went to every single villiage and all we found was blood and burnt down homes.'_

I almost smiled when he said they hadn't found any bodies, but when he kept talking...I was horrified.

'_We followed Shen after we found the fresh tracks of his men. We followed him for days. When the tracks finally stopped at the opening of a cave, we couldn't continue. The smell...was unimaginable. We saw smoke coming out of the mouth of the cave. Master Croc mustered up the tenacity to look down into the glowing abyss. I couldn't see his face, but he was shaking. In all my years knowing him, I had never seen Master Croc cower in fear. So I crawled up beside him...and I saw it. He...he was burning the corpses of the pandas. He burned every man, woman and child. Wolves were even raping the dead bodies of the women before tossing them into the pile. What the mountain of bodies...looked like...it's indescribable...there were thousands of them, if not more. I'm sorry, Panda...'_

At that, I couldn't say anything. I just vomited onto the ground.", Po finished. He looked at the felines, who were searing with horror and anger. Song had brought her legs to her chest as if she could feel the bodies under her feet if she touched the ground.

"That...bastard...!", was all Tigress could say, her fists shaking in anger with tears in her eyes.

"So...is there...any way that we can find another route?", Po said quietly.

Song was trembling. She wanted to throw up. In fact, she did. She fell to the ground and got on her hands and knees as she vomited in the corner. Po looked at her sympathetically and patted her back. He looked at Tigress, who had calmed down some.

"Po...I know that this is going to be horrifying for you. It will be for us as well. But we need to go through the cave, The forest is too dangerous.", she said, her ears drooped down dramatically.

Po nodded some. He was still scared, nay terrified to go down there, and in all honestly they'll probably have to drag him kicking and screaming through the mouth of the cave, but he had to think about the wellbeing of his friends and the love of his life before his own. And, since Tigress and Song now knew about his emotional struggle with this cave, he felt like he wouldn't be alone when he went inside.

"Okay. Let's get moving.", said Po as he stood up. Tigress nodded and gripped his paw with her own. Song stood up still shaking a bit as she wiped her mouth and spit on the ground. They walked back into the restaurant where the other four were cracking up and having a good time.

After everyone finished eating, except for Song who couldn't eat a thing after Po's story, they walked out of the restaurant with their packs as the bunny that owned it refused to let them pay. They walked out of the town and made their way to the next one. They would have to pass through ten seperate towns before getting to the forest so they didn't stop for anything, save for lunch. Po and Mantis put their foot down at this. Well not so much 'put their foot down' as much as they were complaining and begging to stop for a snack. Which, with their lovely tiger and snake's help, they voted to stop.

The sun had finally started to come out as Po made a vegetable stir fry and sweet and sour chicken. After he finished eating his lunch, he waited for everyone else to finish eating as well. So while they ate, he got up, walked away from the others, and went into his Inner Peace stance. He then started to go through slow movements of Tai Chi and concentrated as he felt the movements of the area around him.

Song sat down next to Tigress, where Po was sitting, and whispered a bit,"What's up with Po?"

At this, Tigress looked up and saw Po doing his Inner Peace movements, and smiled,"He's practicing his Inner Peace.", she continued to eat.

"Yeah, but I'm talking about that shaking thing around him.", she pointed slightly and rolled her finger to signify she meant around Po's body."

Tigress gave her a 'what-the-hell-are-you-talking-about' look and looked over at Po. She studied him closely. To her suprise, Song was right. Po was moving slowly, but imbetween his movements, there was a strange blur, like he was moving so fast that he was simply appearing to be slow. She used her chopsticks to pick up a slice of carrot and threw it at Po. The slice landed on him, but it reversed it's trajectory and landed right back into her face. She peeled it off and looked at it. It had the tiniest of scratches all over it. She threw it to the ground, as well as her food as she growled. She stood up and marched over to him.

She could hear it now. His movements made a high pitched whirrling sound. She flattened her ears against her head as the sound only made her more irritated. She stopped infront of him and roared,"PO!"

Next thing she knew, Po was rolling uncontrollably into a tree. He slammed the back of his head into the tree and growled as he rubbed the spot,"WHAT?"

"I told you I didn't want you training yet! Your stitches will open back up!", she growled back.

"Well I'm sick of not training! Besdes, you didn't say anything when I killed that bat yesterday!"

"_That_ I could do nothing about! _You_, however, are my pupil and I say you aren't ready to start training again!"

"Why the hell not?", yelled Po. He enjoyed the fact that she was possessive of him, but he loathed how overprotective she was. Sometimes. And this was one of those times.

"Because I'm overseeing your training, and as your Master, I _order_ you to stand down and wait til you've healed!"

"And as your boyfriend, I'm ordering you to back off and let me train!", said Po.

Everyone went silent after that. Except Mantis, who couldn't help but whisper,"Ooh, bad idea man."

Tigress was pissed. Undeniably, uncontrollably, incredulously pissed."You wanna train, eh?"

Po nodded a bit sheepishly. He had reflected inwardly at his choice of words and knew he'd crossed the line when he pulled the 'boyfriend' card.

"Fine.", Tigress sniffled."Go ahead and train, you prick! Just! Just train until you bleed to death, I don't give a fuck!", she stormed off into the woods at full speed.

Viper slithered up to Po at an amazing speed and slapped Po in the face,"Damn it, what's wrong with you? Can't you see she's scared you'll get hurt?"

"But I _won't_ get hurt!"

"You don't know that, but to her it's a certainty!", she said.

Po stood there for a second, looking at Viper. Then he rushed after Tigress into the woods. He wasn't as good as Tigress when it came to sniffing out prey, but he had become naturally intuned to her scent so she was easy to follow. He stopped when he found her sitting at the edge of a lake, dipping her feet in the surface, crying. He put his paw on her shoulder, which she immediately pushed off and stood up.

"Get away from me! Why aren't you training?", she sobbed.

"I'm sorry, okay? I just didn't think I would get hurt."

"But you _could_ get hurt, and you _will_!"

"You don't know that!", he yelled a little louder than he meant to.

She stayed silent and kept sobbing.

"Tigress, how do you think I felt when you kept training like you did back at the Jade Palace? Always training, always improving-"

"Then you should know how I feel! I'm worried about you! Just as you were for me!"

"But here you are! More powerful, faster, more beautiful, and more graceful than you've ever been! I want so much to be like you that it drives me crazy!", he said. He put his paw on her shoulder again and turned her around.

"I know, Po...but...I'm so...so scared. I'm scared that I'm going to wake up one morning and find you bleeding to death beside me from all your open wounds!", she embraces him tightly. He hugs her back and runs his paws along her lower back. She lets out a shaky and wavering voice."I don't want to lose you..."

"You're not going to lose me. If you want me to be careful, I'll be careful. But I still need to train. I need to train, and learn, and experience all the experiences that the most powerful master in all of China has. So I can be just like her. So I can defend her.", he gently brought her chin up with his finger and kissed her softly. She kisses back and wraps her arms around his neck as she deepens the kiss. They kissed for almost ten minutes.

Tigress smiled at him as they broke the kiss and began to undress herself. Po blushed and looked around to make sure they weren't being watched.

"Tigress, are you sure we should do this now? Shouldn't we start travelling again?"

"Nah. We can stand another half hour. Besides.", she purred at him and licked his throat,"_You_ need to be trained.", she smirked and lowered herself down infront of him.

Back at the clearing with the others, Viper was shaking her head, blushing and sighing as she turned back to the rest of the group.

"They're making up. They won't be back for another thirty minutes."

Everyone blushed a bit, the guys just chuckled.

Song growled and decided to start taking her anger out on the poor innocent tree closest to her. She unsheathed her claws and started shredding the wood.

Mantis hopped over to Viper and whispered in her ear. After about five minutes of him whispering, Viper nodded. Crane narrowed his eyes.

"Okay! That's it! Get away from her, Mantis!", Crane said as he walked over to the two.

Mantis glared at Crane,"Why should I?"

"Because she's my girl!"

Viper hissed a bit,"Excuse me?"

"That's what I said!"

"I'm not _anyone's_ girl! I _am_, however, starting a relationship with Mantis! He's actually had the guts to say something to me about how much he cares! And he's shown it!"

Crane, without warning, tackled Mantis and kicked him in the stomach. Mantis groaned and jumped off of Crane's foot before punching him in the side of the beak, sending the bird flying into a bush. Mantis got into a defensive stance.

"Mantis! Crane! Stop this right now!", screamed Viper.

"What am I supposed to do, let him hit me?", said Mantis as he glanced at Viper. The glance was enough for Crane to swoop in and smack the bug, then take to the air. Mantis growled, ricocheting himself off of a tree and up into the air with Crane.

Viper just slithered over to the log where Monkey and Song had sat to watch the show and hissed in annoyance. The two had blocked and countered each other for over ten minutes. Crane using his legs, and Mantis getting in a few attacks before jumping back down to various tree branches and jumping back up.

Crane had the advantage in the sky, but Mantis used this to his advantage as well, hopping around Crane and jabbing him in his pressure points to cause extreme pain. However, Crane plummeted into a tree and landed with Mantis under him.

The two groaned as Viper rushed over to them. She was crying this time.

"Now look what you did! Why the hell do you two have to fight each other? Crane, we will NEVER be together now! Mantis, try starting a relationship with me when you've matured a bit more!", she slithered back to Monkey and Song. Song knelt down and hugged her, then glared at the two males.

"You guys are asses.", she said.

Monkey rubbed his temples and chuckled,"So glad I'm not done being a swingin' bachelor."

"Yeah, _that's_ the reason.", said Crane who had dusted himself off. He didn't seem too phased by the fact Viper had just spelled out for him. Mantis glared at him.

"What the hell is your problem, dude?"

"What?"

"You act like you don't even care! She just told you that you two would never be together, don't you care?"

"Of course I do! I just...you know, I've got a backup.", Crane shrugged. Mantis was fuming.

"WHAT?"

"Yeah, Mei Ling. I like her more anyway."

In the blink of an eye, Crane's eye, Mantis went over to his pack of things, got out his acupuncture needles, and put over twenty needles into various spots all over Cranes body. Crane was now paralyzed, wide eyed, his irises shaking wildly, and tears streaming down his face as Mantis whispered harshly, his voice filled with venom.

"Ya feel that, asshole? Thats every nerve ending in your body twitching in pain. Now. Take that. And triple it ten times. Then you may have felt the surface of how much pain you just put me through!", he hopped off of the bird and walked away from Crane.

Viper, watching the whole thing, didn't know what to say.

Song, however, let out a purr."Wow. Now_, that's_ a man. Damn it, stop that!" she said to herself. Viper looked up at her and shook her head.

Monkey walked over to Crane and started taking out the needles. After they were all taken out, Crane collapsed onto the ground and coughed, shaking violently.

Just then, Po walked into the clearing with a purring Tigress clinging to his arm.

"You're lasting longer, baby.", she cooed.

Po laughed softly and blushed,"Yeah, well...that's what Inner Peace does, babe."

The two blinked as they looked around to see Monkey with a fistful of needles, a vomiting Crane, a fuming Mantis crying, and Viper and Song hugging each other on one of the logs.

Before they could say anything, however, the sky suddenly darkened. Everyone looked up to see at least a dozen giant bats coming closer and closer. They landed all around the group.


	14. Chapter 14: A Tactition's Pride

Chapter 14: A Tactition's Pride

Po looked around them and stared at the bats that were now in their midst. He then looked at Tigress."So, uh...you sure they won't be mad if we enter the forest? Cus it looks like they're pretty pissed at us either way."

"We do not associate ourselves with the Qian Yun clan. We fight with honor, and die with dignity.", said the largest bat, obviously the leader.

"Then you'll forgive me when I say you don't fight fair!", said Po, glaring at the brown bat.

"Now who said that we were here to fight?", said the bat who crossed his arms, causing his wings to look like a cloak around him.

"Obvious divide and conquer tactic, surround the enemy with larger numbers and pulverize their strongest warriors in an attempt to weaken the morale of the lasting members of the group. Thereby insuring victory.", stated Tigress, who nodded to the the five bats that had landed behind her and Po.

The leader laughed heartily, it was loud enough for Tigress, Song and Viper to wince from the sound.

"You are correct, little kitty. You seem to know a thing or two when it comes to tactics. But that will not save you from our onslaught. I have seen what you can do when you murdered my father, Dragon Warrior. But I promise you, his strength was not in the same league as ours. While he was old, we are young. The old do not deserve to be in this world."

"Sounds like you're spouting the same shit as the Fountain Demon.", Tigress spat as she got into her defensive stance. Po followed suit and let a small growl escape his lips.

"You could say that she and I...have an understanding.", the brown bat grinned an evil grin, sliding a claw over his chin,"I do not call for "United Fronts" among the rest of the clans, and she will leave our homes alone in her conquest to rule China."

Po started to laugh uncontrollably. Everyone looked shocked as he kept laughing. Tears were streaming down Po's eyes as he kept laughing, pointing a bit towards the bats."You-you actually think that she's gonna-gonna let you just keep your-! When-when she's planning on taking...taking over...", he continued to laugh. As the bats looked at each other, they didn't notice the serious look Po gave to Mantis, glancing at Viper, Song and Tigress as he continued laughing hysterically."Ohhhh. Oh, I'm sorry buddy, but that's too funny!", he chuckled softly and walked over to the biggest bat casually. No one noticed the green bug stuffing make shift earplugs into Viper, Song and Tigress' ears and return to his spot.

"_What's_ so funny?", spat the leader. He was becoming annoyed.

Po, with a smile still on his face, spoke with a chuckle,"You've been duped, buddy. She's got a spell that controls males. She's got you wrapped around her pretty little finger and you're jut bending over and taking it. And by the way, you're actually letting her take over China when you yourself have the ability to summon an entire giant bat army and are more than capable at performing the task that she herself wishes to perform! Why let some weak female control you when you could do it all yourself?", he leaned against a boulder and smirked up at the bat.

Tigress rubbed the bridge of her nose in irritation as the leader of the bats glared at Po menacingly._"Po, you're going to get us killed!"_, she thought angrily.

"I hate to admit it, Dragon Warrior. But...you are right.", said the brown bat with a grimace.

Everyone, even the giant bats, let out a 'seriously?'.

"Of course I am!", Po said smugly and chuckled again.

The bat looked at his men and called out,"Men!", the bats looked at their leader.

Po suddenly walked over to the rest of the group, on the way grabbing Tigress' paw and leading her to the others. The group looked at Po with raised eyebrows. By now Crane had even been able to recover from the almost coma inducing pain as he and Po exchanged a smirk. The leader continued.

"Po, what are you doing?", whispered Tigress as she was dragged by the panda. Po said nothing.

"Tonight! We round up all of the clans of our brothers and sisters!"

As the bat spoke, Po got out four of his short swords and positioned them imbetween his fingers, almost like he was using them like claws. Tigress eyed him expectantly and smirked. She understood now. He had been baiting the bats.

"And when we finish our skirmish against the bitch that dared to think she was better than us!"

Tigress extended her claws, Crane adjusted his hat. Mantis grabbed two armfulls of acupuncture needles, Viper gripped an extra durable ribbon made of a leather like material. Song took out Viper's umbrella and twirled it threateningly, and Monkey grabbed a nearby thin branch.

"We. Start our rule. Of China!"

The other bats shreiked in jubilation from their leader's new command. Tigress, Viper and Song shivered. The head bat stopped his yelling command, but then spoke menacingly.

"Now kill the Dragon Warrior and his friends."

"Awwww, why? I thought you were gonna let us go as sort of a 'finder's fee' kinda thing.", Po stated jokingly.

The leader laughed."No. Maybe next time. Thank you for driving the point home for me, though. Goodbye, Dragon Warrior.", he said as his men surrounded the group.

Po was the first to jump in the air at lightning speed and shove all four swords into one bat's chest. It shreiked in pain as it fell to the ground. Almost simultaneously, Tigress triple kicked a bat in the throat, then slashed at another one's chest with her claws.

Monkey ran and powerslid under a bat, raised his arms and let the branch catch on it's knees, used the momentum to jump up, pivot off of the stick with his feet and sliding the stick from imbetween the bat's legs while in midair, performing a flip off of it's back and a spin right behind the bat's head as he swung with all his might and slammed the branch into the left side of it's head.

Viper coiled her ribbon around one of the bat's claws. The bat tried to keep from being caught in her grasp by pulling one of his arms away, accidently elbowing his comrade in the face and allowing Song to open her umbrella behind the bat's head, kick into it's chest with full force, and making it flip over as it fell to the ground in a daze, Song herself tucked and rolled under the bat to flip him.

Mantis threw needles into two of the bat's spines, causing them to become paralyzed. He then started to slam the needles in all the way until they collapsed and eventually died.

Crane, being the only one of the group able to fly, had his wings full, so to speak. He flew around above the fight being chased by three of the bats. As he felt a gust of wind come towards him, he let himself be taken by the wind, flying full force at the bats as he spun around and kneed them in the eyes before flying upwards to keep the third from attacking. The two he kneed fell to the ground clutching their faces as their eyes bled.

Tigress slashed at the one she had kicked in the chest, but he flew up to dodge her,"Coward!", she yelled. The bat swooped down and started to open his mouth, revealing his fangs. On his way though, the bat let out a shreik that made Tigress hesitant, flinching and unfocused. Just as the bat was about to bite her in half, Po jumped from the chest of the dead bat he had just landed on and slammed his swords into the head of the bat that was heading for Tigress. It fell and slid to a stop as Tigress put her foot out to stop the dead mass' trajectory abruptly, causing Po to fly off of it's head and do a forward spin over the tiger before cutting into one of the bats that Crane had dropped to the ground. The unfortunate bat immediately fell back to the ground in a pool of blood.

Viper had finally wrapped around her bat's arm, but ended up wrapping it around his neck and tightened it until his claws dug into his throat, causing his blood to spill out onto his body. Once Viper quickly uncoiled around his throat, the release in pressure made his blood spew out violently. While in midair, She whipped another bat in the face with her ribbon as it had just been kicked in the face and spun around by Tigress.

After whipping the bat in the face, Viper coiled her ribbon around it's legs while Tigress jumped up and slammed both of her feet into it's face, using the momentum to crush it's skull in as it hit the ground.

Song, after landing and toppling her bat, kept rolling until she was ontop of him and stradlling his chest. She purred and slid a claw softly along the dazed bat's jaw."Mmmm. Too bad you're the enemy. We could've had lots of _fun_ together.", she cooed. The bat blushed and stammered. As he stammered, Song unsheathed the rest of her claws and gently slid them down the bat's neck before swiftly slitting it's throat as she rolled to the side with her umbrella in hand. She braced herself as she opened the umbrella and tripped the bat that had just been hit with Monkey's now broken stick. It fell to the ground, but not before Song jumped up, rolled along the bat's massive chest, and slashed her claws across it's throat with the roll, landing gracefully in a sitting position inside the open umbrella with her legs crossed around the handle and her paws resting gently against the top.

As they all stood up, Crane landed with brute force as he had slammed the last bat into the earth head first, shattering it's neck.

The head bat stood there, looking at the warriors. He chuckled,"Well, it seems as though I am outmatched. Do not worry, Dragon Warrior. You shall die one day soon. But as for now, I am off.", he took flight and immediatel began to fly away.

Po smirked,"Enough with the Dragon Warrior stuff. My friends call me Po."

"Hmhmhmhmhm. Alright, Po. You may call me Mai Jin!", said Mai Jin as he flew away into the distance.

Everyone looked at Po. Some were confused, others were somewhat angry at his friendliness. But even they were still confused.

"Po, what the hell was all that about?", said Song.

Po smirked and walked back to his pack to shove his swords into the dirt and grab a towel with a change of clothes so he could go wash the blood on his fur off in the river he had found Tigress at before."Simple.", he looked at Tigress, who was smirking as well."The enemy of the enemy-"

"-is my friend.", Tigress interuppted, grabbing her own change of clothes before looking at the others as she followed Po."We'll be back in a little bit."

Song growled and shook her head with a sigh,"Don't take too long please, we've got blood on us too!"

"Damn, where does Po find the energy?", Monkey said as he walked over to his pack and got out a bottle of imported whiskey that he bought off of a foreign pig and thought now was as good a time as any to crack it open.

As soon as Po got to the edge of the river and dropped his change of clothes and towel, Tigress pounced on him with a playful growl, causing them to land in the shallow part of the water. Po laughed softly and smiled up at her. She tossed her change of clothes onto the bank with his and leaned down to kiss him hard, forcing her tongue into his mouth, though his didnt mind one bit as he moaned and slid his tongue against hers.

Tigress purred loudly and gently grazed her claws against his chest as they kissed. He shivered and curled his tongue around hers. She smiled inside as she brought her tail down his shorts and began to rub his dick. Po blushed again and moaned, bringing his paws up her vest and rubbing her tits in a gentle manner.

As Tigress moaned with him, she curled her tail around his member and stroked it softly. Po rolled her onto her back and softly pinned her tail down."Uh uh, baby. You gave me most of the fun last time.", he rubbed her clit through her pants, the fabric being soaked from the river making it thinner and easier to push through. Tigress moaned and rubbed herself against his hand. Po untied her vest with his other hand and pulled away the fabric to expose her breasts, he then leaned down and began to tenderly lick her cute pink nipples.

Tigress arched her back and flattened her ears as she panted and allowed him to take control. She would never allow anyone to see her vulnerable like this for any reason whatsoever. But she could with him. He had never let her down nor had he shown her any reason to make her think he would. He accepted her mind, body and soul. And she would be forever grateful to have him her life.

Po continued to lick and bite teasingly, his hands softly sliding along her perfect hips as he pulled down her pants. As he threw them onto the bank he scooped her up into his arms and pulled her into his body as her stomach rested against his chest. She smiled at him and rubbed his cute ears as Po set her on a small boulder sticking out of the water. Tigress laid back onto the surface of the rock and rested her legs over his shoulders.

Po slid his tongue over her area, repeating the motion when he heard her moans and felt her hands grab his head gently. He began to teasingly lap at the top of the opening before sliding in a finger as gently as he could. He started off slow, but the pace of his finger quickly sped up. Tigress panted and mewled in pleasure. Time flew by for her as she received the attention as she stared up at the blue sky with the widest smile on her face. She almost had no idea that her limbs were even there as she subconiously tried to give Po some pleasure as well. When she wasn't rubbing his ears gratefully, she was softly clawing at his back with her feet when her pleasure kept her mind at bay. Finally, she began to feel her pleasure heighten and climb like an eagle up a mountain.

"Po! I'm...gonna...cum!", she squealed a bit as he replaced his finger with his tongue and bobbed his head a little.

Tigress let out a moan that sounded like heaven had just greeted her through it's gates.

Back with the others, Viper involuntarily twitched as she heard the sound and blushed hard. She then looked over at Mantis."Mantis, I don't know if we'll ever reach this point or not, but...start taking some lessons from Po now, okay? Just in case.", Mantis blushed softly and nodded vigiorously.

After Tigress came and Po cleaned her area, he took her into his arms again and set her onto his lap with her back to him after wiggling out of his shorts. Tigress purred and leaned back against him as she felt his rigid dick imbetween her thighs. She spread her legs and began to stroke him gratefully, purring more as she licked at her lover's neck.

Po smiled and licked her ear before making her remove her hand and slowly lowering her onto his pride. She let out a small moan and shut her eyes as she felt him slide all the way into her, her face growing continually redder with every inch she received. Holding onto Tigress' sides, Po began to pump into her slowly.

"Yes!", she whispered and began to rub his 'family jewels' while she panted in happiness.

Po moaned as he bit into thr curve of her neck and shoulder a little harder than he meant to, but she gasped and growled softly at his playful behavior.

They moved faster and faster. And when Po thought he couldn't take it anymore, he allowed himself to slip into his Inner Peace. This allowed him to sense every bit of Tigress' pressure points and feel every nerve ending that caused her pleasure. He shifted his weight and slid inside her with more of a pivot.

Tigress shot her eyes open wide and moaned louder as he stroked the spot over and over. With Inner Peace helping him maintain his control, he held his pleasure off. They moved like this for over half an hour. Finally for a fifth time Tigress came violently when Po, letting go of his Inner Peace, released into her like a geiser. They collapsed and panted as Po held Tigress in his arms. Tigress tried to speak, but her mind just wouldn't allow her to. All she could do was purr. After eight minutes of laying in this position, she finally let out a stutter. Still panting slightly.

"P-Po..."

"Yeah?"

"If it turns out...that we can't have kids of our own..."

"Uh...hu-huh?"

"I'd...be more than happy...to keep trying with you...every day...for the rest of my life..."

Po blushed a deep scarlet and chuckled breathlessly."Al-alright..."

After the two recovered and cleaned themselves up from the battle earlier, they got dressed and walked back to the clearing where everyone else was waiting. As the two came back, Song immediately walked towards them.

"Finally!", she looked at the guys behind her as they started to walk as well,"We're going next!", she growled, causing the others except for Viper, to stop in their tracks. The snake and leopardess walked into the woods as Tigress and Po began to wring out their dirty wet clothes.

Monkey hobbled over at Po, his whiskey almost half gone, as he patted the panda on the back."I gotta say, bro. You're one lucky guy. We could hear you guys from here!"

Po facepalmed as Tigress just blushed and cleared her throat, putting her things away. Po took Monkey's bottle away."You need to either learn to not drink as much or learn to share.", Po took a swig of the whiskey and coughed, grimacing."Ugh! What is this stuff?"

"Something I don't have to share!", Monkey said as he swiped his bottle back and snickered.

Po rolled his eyes and started to clean his blades with another towel as he sat down on a log. After he cleaned and put away two more he started on the last he had taken out. Mantis, who had been watching him, finally spoke up.

"Hey Po, where did you even get those swords? You started using em' outta the blue! What gives, man?", said Mantis.

Po blushed as he looked at the bug and looked back down at the sword he was cleaning with a smile."I made them."

Everyone, even Tigress gave Po an impressed look.

"You _made_ them?", said Tigress.

"Y-yeah. After we fought those bandits that raided the northern farmlands, one of the farmers gave me a huge chunk of silver and iron that had been sitting in his barn just taking up space. I tried to refuse, but he just kept saying, 'you'll know what to do with it when you're heart is in the right place', so I caved. One night, when I knew we were going to have a day off, I decided to head into the old blacksmithing room or whatever its called. The place hadn't been used in years from what I could tell. So i cleaned the place up and started the fire to melt the metal. Took me hours to figure it out. Ended up burning and blackening my chest fur at one point."

"Wait, I remember that night. You came to my door and asked me for-", she looked at the others and blushed.

"For what, a kiss?", Monkey snickered.

Po shook his head and blushed as he continued cleaning."I asked her for some of her fur. First and only time I ever lied to you, Tigress. I told her it was for a ceremony to wish all my friends good fortune.", Po sighed,"Anyway, after she gave them to me, I ran back to the blacksmithing room. And...well, I put them in the blades.", he said as he stroked a sword with his thumb."Never thought I stood a chance with you back then, babe. So I thought if someone ever killed you, and if I ever had to avenge you, you would be right there with me to keep me safe. And you'd be with me forever more after that.",he said with a sniffle.

Tigress smiled at Po, tears running down her cheeks. The other guys were silent, but they didn't even notice Viper and Song, who had stood there to listen to the entire story.

Viper sniffled with a smile, wiping a tear from her eye with her tail,"Wow."

Everyone else except Song jumped as they heard Viper .

Song pointed to the woods behind her with her thumb over her shoulder."Okay, your turn boys. See? Doesn't take long to clean up if you're not busy fucking."

The guys laughed at Song's comment, got their change of clothes and/or towels and walked into the woods as Viper and Song sat by Po's bag to admire his handiwork on the swords that stuck out of one of his backpack's pockets. Tigress sat next to Po, while looking at the sword he was holding. She stared at it's shape."Po? Are your swords in the shape of fangs?"

He smiled"_Tiger_ fangs, sweetie. And I matched the color scheme of the handle with your uniform. See?", he handed her the sword. She weighed it in her hands and felt the blade.

She chuckled,"Wow hun, you really went all out, huh? It's high quality. You know you may want to think about doing this professionally if you want."

Po squinted his eyes nervously as he looked at her."Really?"

"Of course! I mean think about it. It mixes your two biggest passions. Kung Fu and cooking.", she smiled and handed him back the sword,"You know even the greats sometimes had other interests that involved another profession. And it made them even better at Kung Fu."

Po nodded."Huh. Guess I never really thought about it. Who knew?", he put the sword away, got up and stretched,"So when we heading out again?"

Tigress looked at Song, who looked at the position of the sun."If we leave immediately after the guys get back, and run at full force, we should be able to make up for lost time. In fact we may even arrive at the forest a little early."

Tigress flinched a bit,"Should we even be going anywhere near the forest? Mai Jin has probably started recruiting already..."

Po sighed in relief."Thank God! At least we don't have to travel through that blasted cave!"

Tigress smiled and rubbed Po's chest as she scooted closer to him to comfort him with a purr, laying her head on his shoulder."I know, sweetie, I know."

"Not if we go at night when they're out hunting for food.", stated Song. Po gave an uneasy look.

"What's wrong with some cave?", Viper asked.

"Viper if you never trust me again, at least trust me now. You _don't_ wanna know.", Song said sadly and gagged a bit as she covered her mouth with a paw and still looked over the map.

"Yeah..._that's_ going to keep me from being curious.", she nodded sarcastically.

"Viper. I may tell you after this is all over, but right now I don't have the heart to speak of it. And I'm sure Po doesn't either.", Tigress said, Po shrugged.

"Yeah, maybe after we reach Kirokuyoru City, Viper."

The seven warriors soon, after being washed up, fed and had gotten a very decent work out, started rushing down their path as fast as they could. Tigress ran on all fours, as did Song, Crane had taken flight and flew above the others to get a good view of the road ahead. Po ran on his two feet as usual, but was keeping up with greater and greater ease. Viper had clung to Tigress' neck as Mantis had clung to Po. Neither of them wanting to keep ahold of Viper. And, to Song's annoyance, Money balanced himself on her back. He was too drunk to run anyways.

Far away in the Forest of Quin Yun, the warriors had no idea of the trap that was being set for them now at this very moment, with thousands of black souless eyes waiting for them in the darkness.


	15. Chapter 15: My Sweet Abyss

Chapter 15: My Sweet Abyss

The wind had now brought their eyes shut. It feircly swirled around in an attempt to toss them back away from their goal. The warriors ran as hard as they could towards their destination, only an hour or so away as the Northern sun slowly sank it's teeth into the earth. The few clouds that were remaining had become nothing more than whisps in the light that gave them depth and shadow in their otherwise unrecognizably short lives.

The wind picked up even moreso as Crane finally had to drop down and run on his legs with the others, which was very hard for him to do. Fortunately and unfortunately, the wind had caused their running to slow dramatically to a fast step. At the suggestion of the panda himself, they walked in a line with Po infront. Because of his girth, he was able to sheild the others from the wind's wrath to an extent. After Po came Tigress, then Song. Monkey was supposed to be walking behind her, but his hangover made him almost crippled from the whipping and rumbling sounds that entered his ears and pummeled his brain.

Crane, as he joined the group, closed the gap between Song and Monkey. Viper and Mantis were now clinging to Tigress and Po like before, only now it was for dear life.

Po's eyes were squinted almost shut as he gazed across the large, hay filled field that stood between them and the Forest that stood at their North-East. The cave was nowhere to be seen, but the mountain was sticking up behind the massive trees of the forest with authority and a golden hue on it's side in the sunlight. As Po walked down the rolling hill, his fur swishing in the wind, he began to notice a slightly unnerving feeling in the pit of his stomach. At first, he thought it was the fact that they were going to the 'burial grounds' of his people. But after he attempted to shake that thought off, a new thought entered his mind. He scanned the nearby forest's edge for any sign of enemies. At one point, he thought he saw a pair of black eyes glinting from the last of the sun's presence, but it vanished as soon as be blinked.

The powerful panda had had just about enough. He panted, though the noises of the wind kept his panting from being heard. He sweated, but the wind again would not allow his fatigue to be shown as it simply swindled his drops of sweat and threw them into the atmosphere. He was now holding just about everyone's possession's on his back except for Crane and Tigress. And he even had some of Tigress' things in his own bag. To him, it was torture. But it was also helping his friends. And it was helping him train.

To Tigress it was just torture. Tigress had a twinge of worry hit her like a brick in the face when Po decided to take on all of the weight, but she allowed it as his Master, and his girlfriend. But she still worried. Every time he would wobble and look like he was about to fall down, Tigress would grab him by the shoulders and yell into the wind,"Let us help you! We are Fine!", and, "You're killing yourself!". But he never answered. He just turned his head to thank her for helping keep his balance and kept moving. But she never heard the thank yous in the wind. And he never heard her pleas.

As they managed to walk up to the forest in their snail pace, Po took out a peice of paper from his pocket. He jerked a bit in pain as he scraped his claw into his left arm and let the blood saturate his claw. As he didn't have the ability to grab a pen, nor the time to stop and get one, he used his blood for ink. He drew the Chinese symbol for 'ambush' into the paper, shuddering in pain as he had to get out more and more blood. After he had allowed it to dry, the wind helping him with something _finally_, he folded up the paper and tried to hand it back behind him to Tigress with his right arm, but there was too much stuff in his way. He then switched paws and handed it back to Tigress with his left as Tigress accepted it.

As Tigress took the paper, she noticed the small amount of blood trickling down Po's arm. She held onto his arm and rubbed the spot softly with her thumb. He smiled inside at her gesture and brought his arm back after she let it go. Once Tigress opened the paper, her eyes widened before glancing at the edge of the forest. She showed it to Viper, then Mantis, who was holding onto the back of the mountain of things on Po's back. Tigress reached behind her and gave the paper to Song, who then handed it to Monkey, and then Crane. Crane tore up the paper into shreds as to not allow the enemy to see the message.

When the group reached one of the gigantic three hundred foot tall and fifty foot wide trees, they sat down. The wind still unforgiving as it came from the West and past by them into the forest. Po allowed all of their possessions to topple to the ground as he collapsed on his stomach with a wheeze and a pant.

Tigress rolled Po over and laid his head in her lap, smiling down at him and rubbing his cheeks with her thumbs before scanning around the darkness that had acended into the trees. She looked at everyone around her. They were tired. They were hungry. An easy target, even if the prey was a group of Kung Fu Masters. With the great strength of the giant bats, it would be as simple as picking up a few precious gems found at the door of a home. They needed to keep moving. She motioned to everyone for them to come to her. As they did as told and sat in a circle after Po sat up, blushing somewhat from Tigress' affection, she yelled into the wind.

"Listen! We need to travel light from here on out! Nothing but the clothes on our backs, food, water, and the most precious items we have with us! Everything else we leave! And pray that the bats decide to grab our stuff while we run!", everyone nodded and started taking out anything in their bags that they wouldn't need.

Their bags were much lighter than they were when they first started their journey. They had sold some things and had used up a little food. Everyone kept their rations of food and water, and some held onto survival essential kits that held anything from bandages and thread to flint and sugar. Monkey though kept ahold of three bottles of sake and a letter from Oogway to him. He had never opened it. It was too painful. Oogway was like a father to him and when he found the scroll on his bed after the news of Oogway's passing, he couldn't even touch the seal. Instead, he decided to touch the bottles he now clung to.

Viper held onto her leatherlike ribbon, a painting of her with her family when she was just a little snake, and a bridal pendant that her mother had given her when she left home. It was gold with a green emerald the size of her eye in it's center. Whenever she felt down, and felt like her life was all but over, she would hold the pendant and remember her mother's words when she left her home for the Palace."_Keep your head up, young one. Never let anyone stand in your way to protect another. And always keep your heart with you as we will always be in it._", Viper smiled and ran her cheek against the gem as she could almost see the eyes of her mother before placing it inside her bag.

Mantis kept his acupunture needles.

Crane kept his caligriphy brush, a few small eisels, a small jar of ink, and a scroll Master Shifu had given him on focus and balance. It was just a list of basics that he had memorized a long time ago, but Master Shifu always said,"_The only thing that keeps a good Master from becoming a great one, is by forgetting the basics._". He chuckled to himself and shook his head.

Song was homeless and had nothing, so she just held onto her rations.

Tigress held onto the first slate of stone she had ever broke, intentionally that is, when she was six. And a bottle of perfume she had never opened. She also held onto a dead, dried up lily that Po had given to her on the first day of Spring. She blushed and laughed as she remembered the day. She had been walking around enjoying the brisk morning air in the garden after the gong had rung and had skipped breakfast to look around. Po had finished eating early to catch up to her. When he spotted her in the golden light among the flowers he nearly passed out from her beauty. He held onto and hid behind a large tree to watch her while the tiger looked over the Valley of Peace in all it's newfound beauty. The panda picked the closest flower he could find and did his best to work up the courage to ask her out, so he silently waltzed up to her. But as he drew closer, his fear grew hideously large. She knew he was coming, but decided to play along since she could tell he was trying his best to be quiet. But when she thought he was right behind her and decided to turn around, he was gone. She could see a black and white dot running frantically back to the Palace. In her confusion she stepped forward. That's when she felt the lily stem uder her foot. It was the first hint she ever really had about how much he truly cared. And it was the first time she ever felt like she actually mattered to someone.

Po kept the Dragon Scroll, the short swords which were ten in all, his old panda doll he found when he attained Inner Peace, his Furious Five action figures, a small pot to cook food in, a few bowls they could eat out of along with some spoons, and a ladle. Oh, and a piece of the rubble that hit him in the head during his first day at the Palace when Tigress broke the stone slates with her awesome split kick(he went back later that night and grabbed it after everyone had left the training hall).

As the warriors finished emptying their bags they closed them and started running along the edge of the forest. Po and Tigress ran in the front with Mantis and Viper still clinging to them, Song and Monkey ran after them and Crane flew just above them, the hills from the field allowing him to fly in the notch-under-intense wind. When they had ran about five miles, another weird feeling hit Po. This wasn't right. At the very least, they should have seen some bats flying out of the woods and into the night sky to go hunting.

Po looked at Tigress with a determined stare. She met his gaze and nodded understandingly as they kept running. It was getting easier and easier for her to read and be read by Po. And it almost seemed like each intimate encounter they shared brought their minds closer and closer into some sort of telepathic link.

_"That last one is a doozy, though, maybe he put something in me when he-oh my god, Tigress! Stop thinking like that, this is not the time!"_, she thought as the tiger blushed and shook her head.

They ran for almost three hours nonstop. Tigress' ear twitched. She could hear a small echo in the distance, like the wind was being channelled into something...tube-like. It almost reminded her of when Master Shifu would play his flute in the Gardens of the Jade Palace. She and Po, along with the rest of the group, came to a halt.

There in front of them, was the mouth of the Wallower's Cave. It was named as such because of the strangely spooky echoes that would come out of the opening when the wind was blowing from the other side. It sounded almost as if someone was bellowing out sobs.

Po was visually shaking, albiet slightly. He backed up a little bit with tears in his eyes. Before he could back into Monkey, however, Tigress grabbed his paw and gripped it tight, smiling at him. Song put her paw on his shoulder and smiled also with a nod. The others gave the three some strange looks, but Viper looked back at the mouth of the cave. She eyed it carefully. What was so bad about this cave? What did it mean for Po? And what does it mean for him now?

Po calmed down a little and shut his eyes tight with a bowed head. He walked forward with Tigress to guide him by the paw, Song never taking her paw off of Po's shoulder. They stopped and stood within the opening.

"Crane, grab some dead branches over there. Monkey, get out some flint. We'll need torches.", commanded Tigress.

Crane and Monkey did as told and started making eight torches altogether. Monkey lit one of the torches and handed it to Tigress. She hovered it over the opening and sighed."Song, how the hell are we supposed to go down this thing?", the last word 'thing' echoed away from them into the darkness.

Song smiled a bit sympathetically,"Yeah I won't lie, it's gonna suck. For Crane, at least.", she pointed her thumb over her shoulder towards Crane, who blinked as everyone, except Po, looked at him.

"Wha-me? Why me?", he said. He almost said it to himself as it started an entire drabble of internal dialogue that centered around self-pity.

"Because this thing is over eight thousand feet deep. Just be thankful that you won't have to lift us on the other side.", said Song.

As the words 'eight thousand feet deep' entered his mind, Po opened his eyes as tears leaked over his cheeks. Master Ox had said it was deep, but he hadn't described it in such detail as that. If Masters Croc, Storming Ox and Thundering Rhino could actually see the top of the pile of bodies, then the amount of pandas had to be truly great. Po had never felt so alone as he fell to his knees, his jade green eyes gazing into the abyss.

Tigress and Song put their paws on his shoulders and arms and looked at him with concerned faces, as did everyone.

"Po?", Tigress said. When he didn't answer, she ran her thumb over the back of his hand and laid her head down on his shoulder after kneeling beside him. She spoke in a soft tone,"Po. It's okay. I know. Come back to us, please."

Po only managed to let out a whisper, and it was very weak as his voice shook and rattled."Eight...eight...thousand...feet...", his irises shook as if he was trying desperately to see the bottom, hoping it was able to be seen so he could get some closure on the possibility that Song was overexaggerating.

Tigress hugged him tightly and sniffled a bit,"I know, Po. It's okay. I'm here with you, and I always will be."

Viper looked at the three infront of her kneeling with a worried expression."Guys, could you please tell us what it is that's so damned significant about this cave?"

"Viper...we'll talk when we reach the bottom.", said Song as she was patting and rubbing Po's back, now looking back at the snake.

Po finally managed to recover to some degree and sighed heavily. He stood up as the felines did as well. He hugged Tigress tightly, then let her go, but he still held her paw. He breathed deeply and closed his eyes as he went into his Inner Peace state. It helped. A lot.

Po opened his eyes and said quietly, though it could be heard by everyone at the mouth of the cave,"Okay. Let's go.", he smiled at Tigress and grabbed an unlit torch before lighting it and taking ahold of her paw again."Ready?"

Tigress started to smile and nod, but her eyes darted from his smile, to the torch, to the darkness of the cave, to their hands.

All she managed to say was, "Oh, fuck!", before Po jumped down into the cave with his screaming lover. The others let out a panicking scream as they saw the torchlight fall farther and farther away.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU!"

"WHAT? YOU DO THIS ALL THE TIME AT THE JADE PALACE!"

"YEAH IN MOONLIGHT, YOU ASS!"

"WELL WITH MY INNER PEACE AND YOUR BODACIOUS VISION, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO LAND WITHOUT A SCRATCH!"

"THATS NOT HOW IT WORKS YOU DIMWIT! I STILL HAVE TO SEE THE BOTTOM!"

"NO PROBLEM THERE!"

Po threw the torch as hard as he could down towards the bottom. The torch engulfed the entire handle in flames as it spiraled downards headfirst. It hit the bottom suprisingly fast, which wasn't good. Tigress' eyes immediately dialated as she scanned the bottom perimeter. She found their chance at survival. It was a small incline in the wall of the cave that turned into an upside down arch like a slide. She rolled in midair after grabbing Po so that he was the one who would be landing first. She tilted his body as Po's belly made contact with the top edge of the incline. He slid down it and Tigress immediately pulled out two of his short swords and slammed them into the floor of the cave while wrapping her legs around Po's head, They stopped abruptly and she sighed in relief as they were only twenty feet from the torch that still burned on the ground.

Tigress sat there, panting. She almost died all because of Po and his stupid 'jump in head first' additude. She kept sitting there as she watched the glow of the other's torches floating safely down. She then shivered as she felt a vibration in her midsection and looked down. It was Po trying to speak into the flat rocky surface of the cave's floor. And breathe.

She blushed and quickly stood up. He sat up and breathed in the precious air that she was depriving him of. He slowly stood up, still panting as he looked at her. The others had just landed and began to walk towards the two.

"Are you okay, my panda-wanda?", Tigress cooed as she rubbed his chest.

Po blushed and laughed softly."Yeah, I'm okay."

Tigress punched him hard in the arm."OWWWHOOHOOHOOO!"

"You could have KILLED us! How the HELL did you think that we would survive that?"

Po rubbed his arm and squeaked out sheepishly,"Inner Peace?"

Tigress facepalmed and shook her head."When we get out of the other side, Po, you and I are sparring.", she grabbed a torch from Crane and walked infront of everyone.

Po flinched and followed her as did the others.

Just then, they heard a loud 'BOOM' come from the opening of the cave. Tigress and the others spun around as the small amount of light that was coming through the cave opening had vanished. The small firery explosions however, continued as they hissed and exploded closer and closer to the group.

Tigress yelled out,"CAVE IN!" and ran like mad away from the explosions, the others almost nipping at her heels.

Even as the explosions stopped they had to keep running. The makeshift bombs the bats had made created a crack all throughout the cave and made the majority of it very unstable.

Po wheezed as he slowly but surely started to slow down. This was too much. Running all day and all night and now running from this cave in. Tigress noticed Po fall back and yelled back blushing, trying to hide a smirk as she knew this kind of thing would keep him energized,"Baby, please keep going! If you keep going you can eat noodles off of my naked body when we reach the city!", she was very embarrassed to say this infront of everyone else, but she really didn't care if the whole world heard her. As long as Po was still alive.

Po blushed and ran harder as he caught up with the group and stayed with them.

The shattering cave in finally stopped behind them as the slowed to a stop, all panting and wheezing in pain as their lungs were burning as hot as the torches that were in their paws. Crane was almost doubled over as he retched. His body shook violently. He wasnt used to all that running in the least and with the rocks falling from the cave in he couldn't risk flying so close to the ceiling of the cave. Or even close to the bottom. If a large rock had hit him in the back he was done for. Tigress, of course, was the first to recover. She sat next to Po on the floor of the cave and gave him 'mouth-to-mouth' to help him breathe easier.

With all that running, even she was ready to just fall asleep. In fact, she wouldve liked to lay down next to Po and just sleep all night and all next day. But they had to get out of this cave first. So after she was done helping Po, she got the map out of her bag and walked over to Song. The leopardess was on her hands and knees just trying to keep from falling. Tigress knelt down and helped her steady back onto her knees before patting her shoulder.

"Song, tell me, I know you are tired. But how much farther until we reach the other side?", said Tigress.

Song looked at the map laid out infront of her, eyeing the mountain and the villiage that stood behind it, panting imbetween her words."Ehhhh...with all our running...we might make it there...around two hours..."

"Two hours?"

"I dunno...maybe three? I dunno, I'm too freakin tired and hungry to think..."

Tigress nodded. She stood up and spoke calmly but with authority,"Now I'm sure you all want to go to sleep right now, but we HAVE to get out of here first. Now have a snack and rest as much as you can in the next fifteen minutes. Because after that we're on the move again."

Everyon groaned, but started eating. Except...Po?

Everyone looked over at the panda as his snoring wa filling up the cave. Tigress rolled her eyes and smiled. She walked over to her lover, knelt down and shook him."Po. Po! Wake up!"

Po snorted awake and looked at her groggily.

"Come on, hun. We have to get a snack and then keep moving. After that, I promise you we can go to sleep. Okay?", Tigress said softly.

Po nodded some and grabbed a couple of apples from his bag, handing one to her as he sat up.

They ate quickly, but regretably started walking right after they finished eating. They knew that if they stopped to rest even for a minute, they would end up falling asleep like Po.

After two gruelling hours, the warriors made their way up a shallow hill. They began to see stars and thankfully it wasn't just from their exaustion. The most beautiful sight came upon them as a small town immediately came into view. And one thing entered everyone's minds when they saw the town. One word. It reverberated in their concious, subconcious, and soon-to-be unconcious minds.

"Bed!", they all thought together before entering the town. The seven made a beeline for the hotel. Tigress quickly went in and came back out with three room keys and handed them out. The group ran to their rooms through their weary red eyes, closed the doors behind them, dropped their bags and collapsed into the sweet abyss of sleep.


	16. Chapter 16: Black Poison In White Peony

Chapter 16: Black Poison In White Peony

As the sun began to rise over the trees of the small villiage, it's citizens slowly stirred awake. The cool fog that covered the ground began to fade at the sight of the sun and clear the vision of those who exited their homes. The small town that sat behind the opening of the Wallower's Cave at the base of the Quin Yun Mountain was surrounded by trees, sans the opening to the mountain. The large clearing that bordered imbetween the town and mountain waved it's observers good morning when the wind blew the tall grass and awoke the still groggy people who walked out to the clearing for some fresh air. Something that was somewhat a rare thing to do within the villiage because of the trees.

Before you could even think to wonder why, picnics were formed in the small field as musicians began to play their arts. It was much like the Valley of Peace's morning routine. But this one was different in one key aspect. The powerful sound of a gong did not shake the ears of the quiet townspeople. Nonetheless when sunrise came, a beautiful young tiger opened her eyes.

She had been trained for years to wake at this exact time. Wether the sun rose or not. It became somewhat aggravating for her during the Winter months when the days were shorter, but she never complained. The orange furred tiger rose up to a sitting position and let out the smallest of yawns, her eyes still heavy though her fur would not show it. She looked around the hotel room she had slept in to survey her surroundings. It had a small desk at the adjacent wall to the door, a dresser at the end of the bed, and the door to a bathroom next to the desk. The room was very small for two people, but in present company she wasn't going to complain one bit even if she wanted to. And she didn't.

As Tigress looked over at the panda that laid beside her snoring, her heart sung a happy song. She wanted to smile, but the amount of running they had accomplished yesterday, last night especially, had left all of them, even her, Tigress, aching and sore in virtually every muscle in their bodies. All she could basically do now was breath, yawn, and think. She thought about going back to sleep. She thought about how far they were from Kirokuyoru City. She thought about the two arms that were pulling her back down and hugging her into a giant pillow-like body.

She thought about purring. And then she stopped thinking.

It was just after noon when they finally woke up, well, actually woken up. Po and Tigress both groaned and nuzzled into each other as a feather kept gently flicking over them, followed by snickering. The two kept their eyes closed as they spoke.

"Baby, you awake?, yawned Po.

"Mmmm. Yeah.", she replied and cuddled her face into his chest.

"Good, you can kill them then.", he mumbled.

Her ear twitched slightly,"Who? And why?"

"Cus Monkey and Crane keep poking us with feathers.", the panda stretched a bit.

"Oh, okay.", she made a yawn with a small squeak at the end."Guys, you'd better start running."

Outside, Viper and Mantis had just gotten back from picnicing in the clearing when they saw a frightened Crane flying out of Po and Tigress' room, followed by Monkey shreiking in terror. A few seconds later, Tigress came running out on all fours chasing after Monkey. The new couple blinked and looked at each other before watching Po come walking out of his room with a yawn and a stretch.

"So what was all that about?", said Mantis.

"A lucky break.", said Po after a minute of rubbing his eyes and looking out towards the town as Tigress turned the corner.

The Masters both made a "huh?" sound.

"Monkey and Crane started picking at us in our sleep, so Tigress is taking her aggravation out on them. Now hopefully she and I won't have to spar. I bet she's even forgotten about the whole thing. Lucky. Break.", he said, his hands swishing apart for emphasis as she looked at them, unaware that Tigress was standing right behind him.

"Dumb. Ass.", said Mantis as he made the same gesture as Po.

Tigress may have been fast, but she couldn't fly to catch Crane, and Monkey was the fastest of them all. So she had quickly given up, knowing she'd get them eventually, and went back to go with Po to get some lunch. But now...

"Huh?", said Po. He stiffened as he felt Tigress' claw softly drag up his spine, making him shiver.

"Oh you think I forgot about that, did you?", she chuckled, her claw running up the back of his neck and up to his ear."Well, I didn't.", she pinched his ear and walked to the clearing, with a hunched over panda repeatedly saying, "ow" following her close. As if he had much choice.

Mantis and Viper looked at each other and laughed before following Master Tigress and the Dragon Warrior to the clearing.

When the four warriors got to the clearing, the place was filled with people, much to Po's happy surprise.

"Ohohohoho, well, I guess we won't be sparrING!", he flinched as she tugged on his ear a bit more. Tigress yelled out to the people, but in more of a light-hearted, egging on manner than an unkind one.

"Who here would like to see the Dragon Warrior spar with the leader of the Furious Five?", she looked around and to her satisfaction every single person in the area cheered and clapped. Po gulped as she let go of his ear, he straightened up. The two walked out into the middle of the field as the crowd now turned spectators cleared the area and watched in sudden awe, not believing what was about to happen _right_ infront of them.

The two bowed in respect to each other and got into their respective defensive stances.

"Rules?", asked Po.

"Hmmmm. How about first to be pinned down and taps loses?", she responded.

He smirked,"Any bets?"

"Sure. If I win, I get to choose the style of the home we buy or build. That means no silly tassles or Kung Fu posters."

Po pouted a bit."Fine. And if I win?"

"I'll teach you the Tahlia Flip after lunch."

"Sweet! Uh, go easy on me, would ya?"

Tigress smiled."Of course, baby."

Viper stood between them to start the match. She looked at the two, then threw her tail down to signal them to start.

Tigress immediately ran and jumped up into the air, spinning at least a dozen times while doing a flip and bringing a now heavy right leg down onto Po, who rolled forward and spun around to keep his defenses up. Just as she saw him roll, she bent her knee slightly and kicked off of the ground to jetison herself towards her opponent. She did a double palm strike into his stomach, but was quickly regretting her decision as Po not only allowed the hit, he had jumped up off of the ground to meet her without slowing down, this combined with her surprise, allowed him to grab her arms and roll forward down the back of her body. As he landed, keeping a hold of her arms, he slid onto his side and spun on his back, causing Tigress to spin with him. But just as he started to spin, she slammed her feet into the ground to stop their spinning.

They stopped moving for a second, just a second, to calculate each other's moves. Po was laying on his back with his arms up as he held Tigress' arms. Tigress was standing with her back to him, but her back was arched as he was pulling on her arms and keeping them from moving forward or upward.

Po knew that if he let go of her arm, she would immediately grab his arm with both paws and throw him in his awkward position. But if he could roll and ground himself before she was allowed to do that, then if he headbutted her in the stomach, this would at least get them on equal ground again and allow him to get back on his feet.

Tigress knew that in her position Po could have her right where he wanted her if she gave him enough time. She couldn't kick off the ground over him, her arms were pulled back to the point where she could either bring them forward with the jump, or allow them to snap and become dislocated. She could just run forward with all her might, but with Po's weight coupled with his strength, she again would end up with disabled arms. So she decided as soon as she could, she would jump and do a barrel roll, then their positions would be reversed. They would both be standing, but she would be holding Po's arms and his arms would be crossed and basically unusable.

The two moved simultaneously. Po let go of her right arm freeing his left paw, Tigress jumped and spun around in midair just as Po spun in the same direction. Tigress grabbed Po's arm with both paws just as he attempted to roll. As he rolled he could feel his arm being pulled back. As it was a second nature to her, the feline bent his arm and twisted it behind his back as he was now on his stomach, and she pressed her left foot into his right side gently.

"Do you concede defeat?", she said, smirking down at him victoriously,

Po chuckled."You kidding? I'm just getting warmed up!", without warning, his right leg kicked her in the back of her right knee, hard. To a normal warrior, this would have snapped their leg in half and made them cripple in pain. But to Tigress it just made her lose her footing and get on one knee, her gripped on his arm loosened as his arm was able to be straightened out. He took this oppurtunity to tuck his legs under him and slide allowing him to have more mobility in his arm, then pivot and grab onto the arm that held his. She in turn grabbed his arm that was grabbing her arm that was grabbing his.

They each knelt there, smirking at each other.

"So what should we do?", said Tigress.

"Call it a draw?", Po asked.

"I think these people deserve more of a show. Besides, how do we draw on a bet?"

"Fine. On three, we let go and back away. One."

"Two."

Po leans in and kisses her softly,"Three.", the two jump backwards as they let go of each other's arms. Well Po did. Tigress knelt there a second longer blushing before jumping backwards. The whistling and light cheering of the spectators caught her off guard.

The two ran at each other once again and started trading blows. Tigress threw a right punch, Po raised his left forearm to the side to block it away. He attempted an open palm strike to her stomach with his right paw, she smacked his arm down with her left paw. He kicked her left leg to the outside to loosen her stance before sending a left palm strike to her left shoulder. He accomplished his goal to loosen her stance, but she used it to her advantage. As he threw the palm strike, she ducked and tucked her right leg in before sweeping her extended left leg out and tripping him.

But as Tigress ducked, Po used this to his advantage as well. As she ducked he allowed his momentum to jump over her. He did a handstand before spinning around onto his side, then he spun his legs in one fluid motion. He then sped up his attack and swept his right leg under hers. She fell to the ground, although it was a very short fall. He locked his leg around hers. The two sat up and began trading punches while their legs were locked.

By now, Monkey and Crane had joined in watching the fight, hoping just as Po did before, that Tigress would get too worn out to beat them down.

Po glanced at the four others without turning his head away from hers. As he suddenly realized something, he looked into Tigress' eyes. Hoping she would receive the message. Which she did to an extent. She knew by the look in his eyes that something was wrong.

"We need to finish this.", he said quietly as they continued to hit, block and dodge each other's punches.

"Agreed", she continued to fight on.

"You ready for my Inner Peace to kick your hot tail?", he smirked as she blushed.

"Bring it on!"

The two rolled away from each other one final time.

Po closed his eyes and got into his Inner Peace stance. His hands moved almost as if they had a mind of their own. He suddenly opened his eyes to see Tigress running at him full force.

It happened in slow motion in Po's eyes. Tigress was charging at him, about to slam her right palm into his face. But as he studied her more closely, he noticed her left leg was shifting oddly since she was running. The palm strike was a diversion. And her kick, according to the way she was shifting her body weight, would be an airslice kick, or so he dubbed it in his fanboyish mind. It was a kick meant to swing almost in a straight line upwards, crush into an opponent's jaw and shatter it completely.

Po stood completely still for a millisecond, but decided to allow her to think he'd taken the bait. She threw her right palm into him. He blocked it, leaving his body exposed to another attack as his right forearm swung upward to swat away her attack. But as Tigress swung her leg, he caught her left leg with his left paw, pulled her leg to his left side while grabbing her right wrist with his right paw, pulling it down to her body, wrapping his right arm around her torso and arms to immobilize her attacks and turning her inwardly to face him. He smiled at her, and she panted. Their bodies chest to chest as he still held her leg in his left arm close to his side.

He leaned in and kissed her deeply, causing her to blush from the many people watching. She kissed him back just before he broke the kiss.

"Do you conceed?", he said with a warm smile that melted her heart.

"I suppose I do.", she purred while smiling back. He let go of her leg as she lowered it. Their eyes still locked together. After a few minutes, they realized just how silent it was around them. They broke their gaze and looked around. Everyone was smiling.

Po and Tigress linked hands and walked back to the other four. The four looked nervous as they came back. Tigress was about to ask why they had those faces before she was cut off, and inadvertantly answered, by Po.

"Where is Song?", he said in a serious voice and his face reflected it. He was looking at Viper.

"I don't know, she was in the hotel room sleeping when I woke up. But after I came back from breakfast she was gone.", the snake said.

Before Tigress knew it, Po was taking control.

"Viper, go back to the room and see if she's there. If she's not, check every inch for some clue she may have left. Crane, take a view in of the village and get back to us as soon as possible if you see her. Mantis, check the restaurants to see if she's just getting lunch. Monkey, check the bars. No drinking until we find her."

The four just looked at Po. This was odd for him. And better yet, it was odder that _he _was telling_ them_ what to do. But by the seriousness of his tone, they didn't talk back. Po rarely showed signs of seriousness. But when he did show it, you'd better damn well listen and listen well to what he has to say.

The four parted into their different directions. Tigress just looked at him with a similar expression the four gave him. He seemed so different. And she didn't know what to make of it. The two walked back into the small town.

"So what are we doing if they're looking for Song?", she asked.

"We're going to help Mantis. Besides, I need lunch after a spar like that. We hadn't even eaten breakfast!"

She laughed softly. He's back."As I recall, that was your fault.", she hugged his arm.

"Nuh uh! It's _yours_!"

"And how may I ask is it my fault?"

"Well if you weren't so damn beautiful and soft furred it wouldn't be so hard to resist cuddling you!", he teased. She blushed again and punched him softly in the arm with a smile.

"You're insane.", she giggled.

Po put on a dry fake voice, waving his left arm about for emphasis,"Ah yes, an unfortunate occurence. They say that there is no cure for it, and I aim to keep it that way. I rather enjoy having Tigress Obsession Disease. Of course it may cause my heart to beat irregularly and do things I couldn't possibly do without it, but I daresay it's a disease worth having, and a disease worth keeping for the rest of my life."

She blushed hard and giggled like a schoolgirl. Which she hadn't done since...she was young enough to be a schoolgirl! She covered her mouth from her laughter."Oh my God, Po. I haven't laughed like that in so long."

"You should do it more often. It suits you very well.", he said before opening the door for her to go into the restaurant. She smiled and bowed slightly at his politeness and went inside with him. They were shown to a table and given menus. It was a very high class place filled with flowers on the walls and candles on every table.

"Po, this place is expenisve. Should we really eat here?", Tigress asked after looking at the menu.

"Don't worry about it. I told you I've been saving my money up."

"I've been meaning to ask you about that, just how much have you saved?", she eyed him somewhat suspiciously as he hid his face behind his menu and mumbled something. Her eyes widened as her amazing hearing gave her a clear reception to his answer. But she wanted to be _very _sure that she heard him correctly,"What was that?"

Po eyed her from over his menu, lowered it, looked around to make sure that no one was listening, and leaned in to whisper."386, 400 Yen."

"How is that possible?", she asked quietly. For obvious reasons she could tell he didn't want many people to know that he was...well, basically rich as hell.

"I told you, I've been saving up from our missions!", he whispered back.

"But that would only add up to approximately 70,000 Yen!"

"Ugh. I really don't want to tell you this here, babe.", he groaned.

"Well, you'd better!"

"I...", he sighed."I would really like to talk about this after lunch, okay?"

"Fine.", she said calmly, though irritated.

They each ordered a salmon entree and ate it quickly, well, as quickly as they could in a high class restaurant. Po paid for their lunch and they left. They went straight to the hotel room. Tigress opened the door and walked in. As soon as Po closed the door behind him, she spun around.

"Why have you been keeping this from me? How is this even possible?", she repeated.

Po sighed again and rubbed his eyes."Okay, I'm gonna tell you something that's going to piss you off. So just remember I gave you fair warning, okay?"

"Just tell me."

Po looked at her nervouly, then rubbed the back of his head with his right paw"Th...the Dragon Warrior title comes with certain obligations, and with those obligations sometimes calls for...rewards."

"What are you talking about?", she asked, crossing her arms.

"The Dragon Warrior is given royalty money! There, I said it! Now you're disgusted with me!", he plopped down on the bed and growled at himself.

Tigress stood there to let the information sink in."Wa-wait, wait, Shifu never told me about any of this! He never said it to any of us!"

"Yeah, he told me about that. He said that Master Oogway wanted that to be kept secret. Because if word got out, it would have tainted the goal of pure awesomness that was the Dragon Warrior title. Well, not in so many words.", he added. She nodded and sat down next to him.

"So why am I disgusted again?"

"Because I'm taking money that I haven't earned. I hate it when I get those papers. Every single time. But I had to take them, Shifu said I'd be disrespecting the Emperor himself if I refused or something like that."

"Well I'm certainly not disgusted with you. And apparetly you earned it. Hell, you've saved China twice. If that's not deserving of a fortune then what is?", she said and laid down on the bed as she let her fish digest.

"I guess.", he glanced back at Tigress."Hey, your opinion of me hasn't changed, has it? Now that you know I'm...you know, rich?"

She smiled at him,"No hun, my opinion of you hasn't changed. Because I know that you're still the same great guy I fell in love with, no matter how much money you have."

He nods."Yeah, okay. Thanks Ti."

Tigress could see his face from where she laid, but sat up to get a better look at him."Po, I think there's something else we need to talk about."

His eyes darted to her before blinking,"Okay, what about?"

Before Tigress could speak, their door flew open where Crane now stood."I found her!"

Tigress and Po stood up,"Where is she? Is she okay?", asked Po.

"Just-just come on!", Crane flew out of the door, followed by the two.

They ran down the street of the town before passing through the thick trees that bordered the buildings. Po dodged and slid around the pillars of nature, ocassionally swinging on a low branch. Tigress did the same, but swerved around the trees with her claws. They would repeatedly glance up to see Crane flying above to show them the way.

After a few minutes of running, Crane landed on a flat rock beside a river before the two caught up to him. The hot sun beat down on the sparkling water that passed through. The greenest grass you'll ever see was perfectly swaying in the gentle wind with the many flowers that adorned it. The soft roar of the small waterfall on their left made it almost a slice of paradise. Almost.

On the other side of the river was a snow leopardess laying against a tree. She was sleeping. But as they looked closer, they saw that she wasn't alone. Song was asleep, laying in the arms of a male. The male had gray fur with spots. He was very muscular. He wore no shirt, but had on a pair of purple pants. His eyes were closed, he was sleeping as well. His tail twitched as softly as he snored. The scene was quite peaceful.

However, on the other side where Po, Tigress and Crane were standing, it was a scene of anger to Tigress, of fear to Crane, and a mixture of fear and anger to Po. But they all shared one emotion. Confusion. And the question that barrelled into everyone's mind as they saw the two was obvious.

_How is Tai Lung still alive?_


	17. Chapter 17: The Faded Line

Chapter 17: The Faded Line

The three warriors stared at Tai Lung as he slept. Po, who had finally allowed his anger to diminish, looked at Tigress. She was angry and there was nothing he could do to calm her down. But they need to find out just what happened that allowed Tai Lung to stay alive after the Wuxi Finger Hold, and they wouldn't get an anwer if Tigress took his head off.

Po rested his paw on her shoulder."Settle down."

"Settle down? Tai Lung is laying right there infront of our eyes, and you say 'settle down'?", she yelled in a whisper."He's supposed to be dead! Didn't you kill him?"

His heart twinged in pain. He hated to kill anyone, no matter what they did."Yeah, I know, I'm as surprised as you. But we need to make sure we know what happened. So calm down, and let's knock him out. Crane, go get the others, we'll meet you at our hotel room."

Crane nodded and took off.

Po hopped over to the other side using the large stones that were sticking out of the water, with Tigress right behind him. He silently walked over to the two snow leopards and stopped right infront of them. He narrowed his eyes as he studied Tai Lung while crossing his arms. Tigress stopped beside him and put her hands on her hips.

"So? What are you waiting for? Knock him out!", she whispered.

"Ugh. Fine.", he groaned.

As Po threw a punch to hit Tai Lung in the side of the head, a paw stopped him. A big, gray, muscular, paw. He suddenly growled, as did Tigress, as they looked down at the now awakened Tai Lung and Song. Song looked up at the two confused, looking imbetween Tai Lung and Po as she sat up.

"What's...going on? Po, what are you doing?", she asked.

"Are you crazy, Song? This is Tai Lung!", yelled Tigress. Po was still standing there, glaring at Tai Lung as the leopard still kept a hold of his fist, frowning.

"Who's Tai Lung?", he said as he let go of Po's fist.

"Who's Tai-you are! Don't act all innocent! What are you doing here? How are you still alive?", Po got into his defensive stance.

Tai Lung stood up and stretched."Look, buddy. I don't know who you are, but my lady seems to know you so I'm not going to beat the living shit out of you. And the name's not Tai Lung! If you MUST know, it's Shiro!"

"Yeah right, like I believe you!", Po growled.

"Believe it or not, fatso, I don't care!"

Song flinched a bit."Shiro, please don't call him fat."

"Alright, Song. Sorry, er...Po was it?", he extended his paw.

Po never took his eyes off of Tai Lung, but growled instead."Do you have any idea how much pain and suffering you've caused?", Po threw another punch as Tai Lung dodged it.

"Po, stop! Whoever you think he is, you're wrong!", yelled Song as she got between the two.

"You don't know what he's done, Song. Frankly, I'm surprised at your ignorance.", stated Tigress as she walked up from behind Po and laid a paw on Po's shoulder as she glared at Tai Lung."He's telling the truth, Po. But keep an eye on him. I know I will."

Po relaxed a little,"So...what, he's lost his memory?", he glanced at Tigress, but kept his gaze on Tai Lung.

"It seems that way.", she narrowed her eyes,"What is the first thing you remember? You obviously don't remember Po or I so your memory had to have been erased after Po used the Wuxi Finger Hold on you."

"I don't have to tell you anything.", Tai Lung crossed his arms.

"But you should for me. Please, Shiro, they're my friends.", Song said softly.

Tai Lung growled softly."Fine. My first memory. I woke up in a field of mud a few miles from here two weeks ago."

Tigress flicked her tail in annoyance."That's it? That's all you remember? It's too vague."

"Well it's all I remember! Before that there was...nothing. It's scary, but I'm starting to get used to it."

"Did anything look a little unusual or out of the ordinary when you woke up?", asked Tigress.

"Well, there was this strange golden light that rose up from the ground...but it was like a golden mist. I didn't find it unusual at the time because it was raining and foggy.", he looked into the distance as he spoke.

Po and Tigress looked at each other, then back at Tai Lung. Po lowered his stance.

"Aaand what's this?", Po said as he darted his finger back and forth between Song and Tai Lung.

Song blushed and wrapped her arms around Tai Lung's waist."He's my mate, if it's any business of yours. We met early this morning and I felt it my duty as a decent person to help him in his time of need.", she said, her voice was a little more venomous than she had meant for it to sound. Tigress let out a growl at Song's disrespectful additude towards Po.

"Whatever. At least now you'll stop humping Po with your eyes. And if _he's_ coming, _you're_ responsible for him! If he imitates his old nature, _we're_ taking him out. Permanently this time.", she grabs Po's paw and pulls him back towards the town. Po kept glancing back to make sure Tai Lung wouldn't suddenly attack.

They came back to the town and walked towards the hotel, neither said a word.

They went inside their room where the others were waiting for them. Viper was coiled on the edge of the bed with Mantis sitting inside her wrapped position. Crane was standing by the desk and Monkey was sitting in the chair of the desk and leaning against the wall on two of the chair's legs. After opening the door for Tigress to go in, Po walked in and slammed the door behind him.

"Is it true? Is Tai Lung really back?", asked Viper.

"It would appear so.", said Tigress before pacing back and forth in the room.

"But-but how?", Mantis asked,"Po, you killed him, right?", he looked to the panda, as well as Viper and Monkey. Crane just stood there. He saw it with his own eyes, he didn't need to ask.

Po glanced at Mantis, but ignored the question and looked at Tigress."So what are we gonna do about this? I don't trust him. And what the hell? He can't travel with us, that's crazy!"

"I don't trust him, either! But Song's taken a liking to him and she's our guide. And she's a female in heat that's just taken a mate, there's no way she'll allow us to say no."

Po rubbed the back of his head and leaned on the dresser.

"But how is this possible?", repeated Viper, trying to ignore the fact of Song and Tai Lung together.

There was a silence for a few minutes. Everyone just watched Tigress as she paced back and forth, her arms crossed with her right thumb and index finger on her chin. Finally she stopped walking and spoke up, but softly and with obvious contemplation.

"The question isn't how...it's why. Why now? He's been dead for over a year. Now we're travelling to a new home to defeat the Fountain Demon, and all of a sudden he pops up.", she said while staring at the floor. The tiger then looked at everyone, then looked back down, never moving from her position."Everyone please leave. Po and I need to talk."

Crane and Monkey looked at each other before walking towards the door. Mantis hopped with them. Viper sat in her spot for a second longer."What should we do if Tai Lung and Song show up?"

"Go to the lobby and get another room for you and Mantis. Trust me, you don't want to be around Song if she's got a mate and isn't allowed to be with him at night. And make sure you at least get far enough away to where even _you_ can't hear us talking."

Viper blushed at the idea of having a room alone with Mantis, but nodded and slithered out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Tigress sighed and sat down on the bed. Po sat down beside her and started massaging her shoulders, to which she immediately purred and sat in his lap so that he could rub her shoulders more easily.

"So what did you want to talk about, babe?", he said while pressing out a few knots in his lover's back with his thumbs. Tigress continued to purr, but spoke with a serious tone.

"I need to talk to Oogway, Po."

Po stopped massaging for a second, but continued with a nervous chuckle."Well, good luck with that hun."

"Po, I know that you've been able to talk to Oogway in the past just as Shifu could."

"Wha-what makes you think I'd know how to talk to Oogway?", he asked. Tigress could feel his paws getting shaky.

"Shifu once told us how those with Inner Peace would be able to speak to the dead in the past if they only sought them out.", her ears flattened against her head. Po's whole body was shaking now. She looked back at him,"Po, what's wrong?"

"I...I don't want to..."

"Is there something painful about talking with Master Oogway? He's always been a very sweet man.", she slid off of Po's lap and put her paw in his. She looked at him worriedly.

"It's not that simple. You have to...do something each time you try to speak to the dead, Tigress.", he looked down and gripped his knee with his other paw.

"What must you do? Have you done it before?", he nodded.

"There's a reason why you MUST have Inner Peace to speak to the dead. After going into Inner Peace I have to meditate. Then, I must...stop breathing for a few minutes.", Tigress' eyes narrowed some."I'd have to...get to the gates of the dead and...and...see how I die in the future."

Tigress' eyes widened."And...you've seen it?"

He nodded, not looking at her.

"How...does it-"

"Don't ask me that, don't EVER ask me that!", he said after snapping his head in her direction. His eyes were misty and fearful.

"I...I understand."

"No...no, you don't understand."

Tigress looked down."How long have you known?"

"Since the night we got back from Gongmen City."

"Can I at least ask...when?"

Po sighed heavily."No."

Tigress' voice cracked a little as she gripped his paw tight,"Is it soon?"

Po looked at her, then looked back down."Three months from now."

Tigress' eyes filled with tears before overflowing onto her cheeks."No. No, I don't believe you."

"Tigress, I would't lie about something like th-"

"HOW COULD YOU? YOU START A RELATIONSHIP WITH ME AND TELL ME WE'LL START A NEW LIFE TOGETHER JUST SO YOU CAN DIE AND RIP MY HEART OUT?", she wailed.

Po pulled her into a hug, which she tried to pull away at first but eventually stopped resisting and sobbed into his chest uncontrollably.

She weakly hit his chest,"Damn you..."

"I'm so sorry, Tigress. I'm so sorry.", his cheeks were now matted as well.

Tigress hiccuped softly and spoke imbetween sobs."Tell...me...how."

He shook his head."No, you don't deserve to be burdened like that."

"I...still deserve...to...know..."

Po sighed again."You must promise not to tell anyone."

"I promise..."

"Or to prevent it."

She looked up at him, she looked a mess now."I will not promise that."

"You will."

"NO!"

"Tigress, y-"

"Tell me now!", she growled.

Po slowly took her hands in his and looked her in the eyes. He hesitated for a minute, but finally spoke in a quiet tone."The Fountain Demon is going to take you captive. And make me hand over my life for yours...and..."

"That's ridiculous, I'd never allow myself to be captured."

"You would if your physical abilities were compromised."

"How in the hell would that happen? Does she injure me?"

"Tigress...", he bit his lip, a small yet sad smile approached his lips."You're pregnant."

Tigress' eyes widened again, she immediately looked at her stomach."No, that's impossible. I-I havent felt any..."

Po' voice changed to a serious yet sad tone,"You have to keep me tied to my fate. As much as it pains you, and as much as it makes me writhe in pain inside knowing that I won't be here for the birth of our child...you have to do this. For the little boy or girl that's now living inside you. That's bonding our souls into one being."

Tigress cried. Wether it was from the sorrow of knowing her love would die, or the happiness to learn that she was pregnant with his child, she cried. Po hugged her again.

"We can't let this happen, Po. I can't live without you."

"But you must. For our child.", he said.

"Is...is there any way out of this? Couldn't Oogway-"

"Oogway says that the only way to keep us both alive is to sacrifice the life of another. And I don't want that blood on my hands."

"So you'd rather die and leave me and our child alone than live with us and feel guilty about taking one life? What if it's the Demon's life, did you ever think about that?"

Po blinked. He was physically unable to speak. He was so unsettled and sorrowful of the fact of knowing his death, coupled by the happiness of knowing he and Tigress would have a child together, he hadn't thought aboout the possibility of the life Oogway meant to be the Demon's life.

Tigress just looked at him and smiled, shaking his paw a bit to snap him back to reality."We can do this. With your Inner Peace you can do anything. And with my love for you, I can do anything. Please don't accept this as our fate."

Po slowly let his signiture grin slide over his face. It was like a ton of bricks just lifted off of both their shoulders when they smiled at each other.

"Okay. Let's do this.", he said softly before they kissed. They rested their foreheads against each others and looked into each other's eyes. After a minute, Po spoke again,"So what did you need to talk to Oogway about?"

"We need to know about Tai Lung. How he's alive?"

"Oh! Right! Duh!"

She giggled softly.

"Okay. I can speak with him."

"Is there any way that I can come too? I really miss him. He was more of a father to me than Shifu ever was."

Po smiled some."Of course. But..", he frowned,"The Spirit World is dangerous. If I tell you to shut your eyes, keep them shut until I tell you to open them. If a blood thirsty demon comes and tries to eat our souls, I want you to run. I can fight them off, but you can't. It isn't a matter of physical ability but spiritual power. Fighting is different there, and it's a style that you're not accustomed to. It isn't that your spiritual power is weak, it's that it's unrefined. Shifu, and later Oogway taught me how to refine my spiritual power."

"Is that why you've been acting so different lately? Commanding the Five, pulling off extreme speeds, that...feral manner you killed that ox?"

"Yeah. It's a series of techniques that you learn after reading the Thousand Scrolls of Kung Fu."

"But, you haven't learned the Thousand Scrolls of Kung Fu. You've learned...", she counted in her head,"one hundred and six."

"Yeah but Shifu kinda let me skip a few steps. He said that it was something I needed to learn, just in case.", Po's ear twitched. Then Tigress' ear twitched. They looked at each other.

"You don't think..."

"I dunno...he was acting strange ever since we left Gongmen City. Serene, but creepy. Like he was at peace, but there was something in his heart that was keeping him from staying peaceful for too long."

"We'll have to ask Oogway.", she sat down on the floor and got into a Lotus position.

Po got into his Inner Peace stance and sighed slowly. He then sat in a Lotus position with Tigress, but with his back to her, and their heads resting against each other.

"This is new.", Tigress said.

"It's the proper positioning for someone to bring an inexperienced person into the Spirit World. Now meditate. And do your best to focus on Master Oogway spirit."

"How do I do that?"

"Just remember the feeling you have when you're around him. Picture his face and just allow that to take you into meditation."

Tigress breathed in and out deeply, closing her eyes."Okay."

After a few minutes of meditation and picturing Master Oogway, Tigress found herself feeling cold. She could no longer hear the feint sounds of children laughing in the streets outside the hotel. It was replaced by soft whispers in languages she couldn't understand. She opened her eyes and gasped softly. She and Po were standing in a field of dead flowers. In the far off distance there was a very bright city that looked like a star from where they stood. The field was surrounded by lifeless trees and rotted wooden fences. She looked at Po.

Po was wearing a light gray cloak with a red sash around it that looked like it was woven in blood. She went to grab ahold of his paw, but flinched as she felt it. His once dull claws were now sharp and almost twice as long as they normally were.

"Po, where are we? It's cold.", she was feeling very weak, and scared. She tried not to let it show, but this place...it was like it was pulling her essence from her. She suddenly felt warmer and a little stronger as Po wrapped a cloak around her.

"We're in the Field of Rememberance. I'm surprised, I've never been this close to the city right off the bat before. Maybe it's because you're with me.", he smiled. She felt much stronger as she looked at his smile, and smiled back.

"Now come on. We need to get to the city before any demons show up.", he said as he gently gripped her paw and walked towards the city in the distance.

"Po, that city is so far away, how are we goin-"

"Don't finish that sentence.", he interuppted, never stopping their pace."What fuels a spirit, including our own, is feelings. Optimism is key to surviving the Spirit World. How do you think I've survived?", he chuckled.

She smiled."Sooo...what if I gave you a quick 'boost'?"

Po blushed."W-well, that's certainly a good idea, but...I don't think that this is the best place for that here, out in the open."

"Is there a building close by we can hide in?", she said seductively.

"Well-yeah, I guess. But we'd have to be quick.", he blushed more. What was he doing? They're in the Spirit World!

"Good.", she purred."I'm getting thirsty anyway."

And Po never cared wether it was the Spirit World or not ever again.

They walked quickly to a small hut. It had a light in the window. Po knew that an old hag woman inhabited the hut, but by the looks of it she was away. They walked around the back and into the shed. Tigress closed the door behind them.

After a few minutes of Po moaning and Tigress purring, a small conversation started from inside the shed.

"Po, how am I supposed to face Oogway like this? I'm a mess!"

"I dunno, wipe it off with your cloak!"

"Did you have to let so much come out? I couldn't swallow it all!"

"How was I supposed to know? It's not like I've done this in the Spirit World before!"

"You'd think that someone that knows the spirit is controlled with optimism would figure out that it applies to everything..."

"Well, you could've figured it out too!"

"I was horny!"

A minute or so passed in silence.

"It's not coming out of my fur."

"Ugh. Then what are we supposed to do, there's no water in the Spirit World!"

There was a few more seconds of silence.

"Oh God, gross, I'm not doing that!"

"Well I'm not going out like this."

Po whined,"But-but-!"

"Hey, I take it for you all the time. Suck it up, Dragon Warrior."

Po grumbled,"Not funny."

A few more minutes of Tigress' purring could be heard.

"Okay...okay, I think that's all of it.", Po coughed.

"Thanks, sweetie. Now let's get going."

"They'd better have alcohol in the city."

They came out of the shed and went back to the road, running this time.

About an hour passed. Tigress' trick had done the trick. They could see the demons hiding in the trees, but none dared come out as the two passed them. They went over a stone bridge that seemed to go everywhere but the other side. But eventually they passed it. Finally they arrived at the gates of the city. It was beautiful. Every tall building that seemed to keep the sky from falling glowed in a complete golden hue. Every brick was made of gold. Through the bars of the gates you could see people of all kinds walking around happily enjoying their home. Children played in the streets, there was music on every corner. It was literally a paradise.

Po and Tigress walked up to the gates where two very muscular and tall antelopes stood guard. They both held a spear with a golden handle and a silver spearhead. Their armor perfectly accented their physique, but covered almost their entire bodies in silver metal. Their spears crossed when Po and Tigress walked up.

"Seishi. Fukutsu", he nodded to the two.

"Again, Dragon Warrior, my name is Seishinsakuran! My name is my honor. Please use it properly."

"But I can never remember it!", Po whined.

Seishinsakuran smirked. He was proud of his name, but he enjoyed frustrating the goofy Dragon Warrior. He nodded to the panda.

"It is fine. You wish to see Grandmaster Oogway?"

"Yes, we do.", said Po.

"'We'?"

The two antelopes saw Tigress standing behind the panda. Tigress couldn't exlain it, but she was shy and afraid to go into the city. Like she hadn't deserved to be in it's presence.

"Hmm. Fine. But be quick. She may not last. You haven't tought her a thing yet, have you?"

"No, not yet.", Po responded.

"C-can we just...get going? I'm sure it's almost dark back home. The others will be worried about us.", said Tigress.

"Don't worry, babe. We'll be back in no time, literally. Time stands still here, at least in our world's laws.", Po stated.

The antelopes withdrew their spears as the gates opened. Tigress went to walk up to the gates, but Po stopped her."Remember when I said to shut your eyes?", she nodded."Do it now. No matter what you hear, keep them shut until I say open your eyes.", Tigress shut her eyes tight and held onto Po's arm with both of her own.

Po began to walk through the gates with Tigress. As they did, Tigress could feel a torrential wind blowing around them as if a tornado was slamming on top of them. She heard those horrid whispers again that seemed to tease her, so she flattened her ears against her skull. She could feel Po tense up. He was watching his death. She was thankful he told her to shut her eyes because she didn't have the heart to witness it herself. She heard arguing from familar voices and one she couldn't remember hearing, then she heard a roar in pain and a woman crying, followed by a woman cackling. The roaring of fires could be heard as the roar of pain continued. She could only imagine what was happening and did her best not to.

Suddenly, it all stopped. The voices, the whispers, the winds, everything stopped. She felt Po relax and heard his sweet voice speak softly."Okay, you can open your eyes."

She did as he said and sighed."That sounded horrible..."

Po smiled sympathetically and nodded."Yeah..."

They walked down the streets, where people waved to them and smiled. No one had any troubles it seemed. They made their way around a corner and up a shallow, but long hill that led to a massive mansion. It looked similar to the Jade Palace.

Once they reached the door, Po started to knock on the door. But as his fist was about to gently hammer the golden wood, it swung open to reveal Oogway smiling at them.

"Hello, Po. Hello, Tigress."

"Master Oogway!", Tigress went up and hugged the great turtle. The turtle hugged back and chuckled.

"You have grown much, little cub. It is good to see you. I've been expecting your arrival.", he said in a happy and gentle voice.

"You uh, didn't see what we were doing in the shed, did you?", said Po as he rubbed the back of his head and Tigress backed up to stand next to Po.

Oogway chuckled again."Oh, no. I always look the other way when you two show your love for each other in such ways. Though I was saddened about the situation with the snow leopardess you two had to deal with."

Po nodded,"Yeah, well we've tried to look past it now."

"That is a wise decision, young one. Often emotions of jealousy and hatred for such reasons cut off friendships that are too valuable to be ended in such squabbles. Now come in, you should rest from your journey. I'm sure Tigress is very eager to sit down."

"Yes, Master Oogway, thank you.", she bowed as did Po before they entered. The door shut by itself as Oogway led them to his large livingroom that was shaped much like the Hall of Heroes, but it held furniture instead of Kung Fu relics.

They sat down at a couch beside a coffee table that held a tea set with fresh tea inside it's kettle. Oogway poured them each a cup and handed it to them before sitting down with his own cup, sitting on a couch on the other side of the coffee table.

Tigress took a sip of the tea and purred as the tea went down her throat."This is delicious, Master Oogway."

"Why thank you, Tigress. Now. I know why you have come. You wish to speak about Tai Lung's return.", he took a sip.

Po and Tigress nodded.

"He has returned as a favor to me from the Gods. You will all need help, and Tai Lung deserved a second chance at happiness.", Oogway said as he set down his cup.

"But master, he's done so much to China. He's caused so much sadness...", said Tigress.

"Ah yes. But would he have done all those things had Shifu not been so prideful? He was trying to do his father proud. As you have most of your life, young one."

Tigress' ears lowered and she looked at the marble floor in shame.

"You are not like Tai Lung, Tigress. At least you weren't when evil existed in his heart. You are wise, compassionate, and now your heart has opened up to the most beautiful thing in the world: Love. Which has created and is creating life. And do not be ashamed of your words to Shifu. He has much evil in his heart now, but it is not his doing. Someone has possessed his heart, allowing him to mistake it for love."

"The Fountain Demon! Is she controlling him?", Po blurted out.

"A shame, but yes. She sold him a pendant in Gongmen City and it slowly consumed him to obsess over her. If only he had softened his heart a little sooner. Perhaps he would have found true love and would have become immune to her charms. Much like you now, Po."

Po smiled for a second, then frowned as he looked at Tigress, then back to Oogway."Master Oogway, I know this is selfish of me, but please. Is there any way that I may live to see my child be born? And...hopefully not die for the rest of my life?"

Oogway laughed softly at Po's little joke he made from nervousness."Ah Po. I know that death is a scary thing. But it is a necessary part of life."

Tigress buried her head in Po's arm and tried not to cry. It wasn't working. Po rubbed her back with his other paw warmly.

"Master, I do not fear death. I fear being apart from the one I love and the unborn child that she now bears. Please...if there is _any_ way at all, I'll do it. I beg of you. Would you please give me the answer? No riddles, no half truths, no vague interpritations. Whatever the repricussions are, I'll deal with them. _Please._"

Oogway rubbed his chin and sighed softly as he looked at the sad couple. He couldn't help but feel remorse for putting them through this with no real answer. They have both grown so much. As a master, it was his lifelong duty to teach and guide, and to ultimately be a father to his pupils. But now his life was over. And theirs were just beginning.

He looked at Po and studied him. He was the Dragon Warrior. He was respected and he was respectful. He didn't joke around as much any more. He knew what was important in life. Po had lost a lot of weight since his first day at the Jade Palace. So he wasn't indulging as much as he used to. He was more disciplined. He was now an acceptable father.

Then Oogway looked at Tigress. She was the leader of the Furious Five. She was obviously mature. Respectful. But her hardened heart had softened greatly. She still had a temper, but a tiger's nature was to have a short fuse. The child of a tiger, albiet a panda child as well, would be able to handle it. Tigress was enjoying life much more. She laughed. She cried. She let people know how she felt. She was more gentle. She was now an acceptable mother.

After a few minutes of contemplating, Oogway finally spoke. Tigress was now looking at Ooway, but she still clung to Po's arm and rested her head on his shoulder. Her eyes were bloodshot and weary from being in the Spirit World and from crying so much.

"In the city you are travelling to, there is a building of many records. The family history of the Fountain Demon is in there. She will destroy the building. But if you take those records, you will be able to find out the truth behind her hatred of the elderly. And while you are there, you will be able to find your own family historys. I suggest you take them as well. The guards will not like it, but the king is an old friend. I will visit him and tell him to allow you to do what you must."

Po sniffled happily, stood up, and walked around the table to hug him."Thank you, Master. Thank you for giving me this chance."

"You are welcome, my child.", said Oogway as he hugged back.

After he broke the hug, Po looked back at Tigress and smiled."Hun, go on back. I need to ask Master Oogway something that I'm not ready for you to hear yet. I'll wake up at the same time as you, anyway."

Tigress eyed him suspiciously and shrugged."Okay, love.",she walked around the table, kissed him softly, then hugged Master Oogway,"Thank you, Master.", she then disappeared to snap out of their meditation.

Po turned back to Oogway.

"What is it that you wish to ask, my son?", asked Oogway with a smile, as if he knew what Po was about to say.

Po bowed low, his fist in his palm and his cheekswere a bright red."Grandmaster Oogway. As I am unable to ask Master Shifu of this, I ask you now. You have been a father figure to Tigress for almost her entire life. May I have your blessing to ask her for her hand in marriage?"


	18. Chapter 18: Avalanche

Chapter 18: Avalanche

Grandmaster Oogway was a giant turtle with a soft heart. He was a wise person who was always there for someone when they needed him. He was the founder of Kung Fu and when he lived there was no more powerful a man than he, though he himself would never admit it. He was humble, happy, and hollowed. For his entire life, and now even in his death, he has blessed those who have known him as a dearest friend, a father...

A master.

"Your life has been a tumultuous twister of turmoil, Dragon Warrior.", said Oogway as he walked in a slow circle around the panda. Po would not speak. He dared not move from his bowed position. He knew that Oogway was kind, so he was no afraid of Oogways wrath at his request. But he was the wisest of them all. He was most of all fearful of his judgement."You have faced perils, pompous evils, and preposterous odds. Your childhood was a master example of suffering to which only one other could possibly understand.", Oogway now stood infront of Po again, staring at the panda's head."Po, do you know why you are the Dragon Warrior?"

Po stiffened even more than he had before, if that was even possible. He was silent for a few seconds, but managed to stutter,"I-I don't know, G-Grandmaster Oogway...I would say it was an accident, but..."

"There are...no...accidents.", the turtle sagely smiled."Master Tigress was a shunned girl since the age of four when she arrived at Bao Gu Orphanage. She was deemed a monster because of her lack of control. And when my pupil took her in as a student _and_ a daughter, this was the only time she seemed happy. I watched as Shifu raised her with a strict unyeilding hand, and showed no love. But since Tigress had come to the Palace, she gave my old pupil a glint of happiness. He felt that he was making things right for the wrongs which Tai Lung's actions created. He made no promises to her, but still taught her the glory of the Dragon Scroll. He taught her jealousy, anger, pain."

Po was starting to get really achy now staying in his position, but he kept listening.

"But when the girl turned twelve years old, I began to take more of an interest in her. After all, that is the age when a young girl's life becomes the most confusing. Every Saturday, I would sit and meditate with Tigress in the courtyard. But before we would meditate, I would allow her to vent her anger from Shifu's teachings with a spar and a discussion. After our meditations, I would take her down to the village to treat her to lunch. She would always of course eat only tofu.", he chuckled softly,"Still I was happy to allow her that time to be around other people her own age other than Crane, who had by then found himself at the Palace. A girl who rarely if at all left the palace, was at least able to see other children playing in the Valley. I would often ask her if she would like to join them, but she would refuse for reasons her own."

Po had the greatest urge to blurt out something. His memories flashed before him, but he bit his tongue with all his might.

"One day...as Tigress and I were walking through the village, we saw a young panda boy sitting at a tree enjoying his lunch. He was eating an apple, and a bowl of noodles. There was a large piece of moon cake sitting beside him, but he seemed to have discarded it. Tigress glanced at the boy, but we did not stop. The boy seemed preoccupied with his thoughts and looked rather sad. He had a bruised mark under his eye that seemed to have been there for a while. We were about twenty feet away when we heard it. And turned around. A large young ram and three bunnies had stood infront of the panda. And they began to beat him. Tigress was about to go over and help the young boy, but I stopped her. For she was in a rage.

"She begged me to allow her to help, but as she asked I pointed towards the fight. The panda boy had gotten up from the ground and started to fight back. He had no skills, no form at all. But the young ram who had just taken his cake was on the receiving end of a pummeling. Before the panda could knock the ram to the ground however, the three bunnies had aided their friend and continued the group's attack. Within seconds, the panda boy was on the ground crying. The group of bullies left him now, laughing. As the young panda sat up he looked at us for only a moment, then hid behind the tree. We could still hear his cries. Tigress herself started to cry even through Shifu's emotionless training. She asked me why I would not let her help. But I told her that I knew the boys that beat him and would notify their parents immediately. The boys would be punished for their actions. I told her to go start lunch without me so that I could help the boy. She said nothing, but nodded and walked towards the restaurant where we ate regularly. Then when she was out of earshot, I walked over to the poor boy, and-"

"Master...", Po interuppted. He didn't want to interuppt, but his emotions would not hold his tongue any longer. His tears had now formed a small puddle on the marble floor. He could see his own expression in the puddle. He looked horribly tired."Master, please tell me you said nothing to Tigress about what you saw..."

"I have not, Po. But it still saddened me to see you sitting there with cuts in your arms. When I took you back to your father, I told him nothing save for the fight. He assumed it was they who cut you, so I said nothing. You were dealing with your own issues in your own way. But as I said it saddened me. But I saw a glimpse of hope that day. I decided from then on that I would take another interest. You."

Po's eyes shot wide open, his pupils darted around the wet floor infront of him,"M-me?"

Oogway nodded,"You were the first to cause Tigress to show emotion since Shifu had taken her in. And the talent you showed in Kung Fu, no matter how unrefined, had shown me all I needed to see."

"A-are you saying...you knew I was going to be chosen the Dragon Warrior?", Po asked in almost a whisper.

"Well I didn't say that. But I certainly had a feeling in my heart that it may be true. But with a boy who was in such a confused state of mind most of the time, a drastic change in scenery for you, and to be without your father so suddenly, would have been too much for your already crushed heart to bear. You would have eventually ended up just like Tigress. And for that reason, I did not take you back to the palace to train."

"So...you had nothing to do with me becoming the Dragon Warrior?"

Oogway smiled again,"I wouldn't say that..."

Po stayed in his position, but raised his head to look at Oogway,"Master?"

"Did you know that Shifu dislikes...fireworks?"

"Y...you didn't...", Po stuttered.

Oogway chuckled softly,"Perhaps. Perhaps not."

"So...I was chosen the Dragon Warrior, because-"

"Because you _were_ the Dragon Warrior. But the universe does not choose such things because a tragedy _will_ arise. The universe also chooses such things because tragedies have _already_ arisen. For instance, the most powerful Kung Fu Master in the world, Master Tigress, had felt no love from her parents, nor her adoptive father, nor anyone else. She was a cold, emotionless person who, with the temper that a tiger naturally holds, would have eventually snapped in anger just as Tai Lung had. Her heart was complete ice and stone. Until her biggest fan came into her life.", Oogway put his claws gently onto Po's shoulder.

Po immediately looked back down and stayed as still as possible.

"Dragon Warrior Po Ping, Master of the Panda Style. I, Grandmaster Oogway, former head of the Jade Palace and former master of the current head of the Jade Palace, give you my blessings to ask my daughter's hand in marriage.", he proclaimed softly.

Po stood up straight, finally, and cried again from joy. He hugged Master Oogway one more time tightly."Thank you, Master."

"You are welcome, my son. Now go and join your soon to be wife.", Oogway said with a smile.

Po broke the hug and, with his biggest smile ever, bowed low in gratefullness and respect as he broke his meditation.

Po opened his eyes and sighed heavily. He felt Tigress still leaning back against him. She relaxed against his body with a sigh.

"Well, that was interesting to say the least. Thank you, Po. But what did you need to talk to Oogway about that I couldn't hear?", she asked.

"As I said, I'm not ready for you to hear it yet. How are you feeling?"

"A bit woozy. I need a drink.", she muttered.

"I don't think that's a good idea, hun."

"Why n-", she suddenly remembered what he meant and smiled wide."Yes, you're right."

They both stood up slowly and sighed, turning around to face each other. They were both shocked when they looked at the other's faces. Both of their faces were matted with fresh tears.

"Wow, guess we got a little emotional, huh?", said Po.

"Yes. We should go back outside. I feel like I need some fresh air. Let's take a walk.", Po nodded and walked outside with Tigress following.

They walked down the street and began to talk.

"So you're going to have to teach me the Tiger Style soon, huh?", asked Po.

"Yes. With the baby on the way, we can't waste much time."

"So should we tell the others?"

"Well...I suppose they deserve to know. I'm sure Viper will jump out of her skin when she learns that she's going to be an auntie.", she giggled. Po laughed some.

"Yeah...", his smile faded."We'll also need to get to the city as soon as possible. You shouldn't be travelling in your condition."

Tigress rolled her eyes."Oh God, Po, you're going to be one of those 'overprotective' fathers, aren't you?"

"Yep.", he laughed."But uh...I-I don't know if we should tell everyone just yet."

"Why not?", Tigress looked at him.

"Uh...well, maybe with things going on, we should wait til we get to the city.", he blushed and glanced at her.

She narrowed her eyes."Are you hiding something from me?"

"Let's just call it a surprise."

"I don't like surprises."

"Well I think you can wait."

"How long?", she asked without missing a beat.

"Uh...uhm...", he wracked his brain, his face was beet red. He hadn't even gotten a ring yet. He was nowhere near ready."Uhmmm...a week?"

"Hmmm...", she eyed him suspiciously, but shrugged and looked ahead."Fine. You have a week. If you haven't pulled off whatever ridiculous silly thing you're trying to surprise me with, I'll _make_ you tell me."

Po cleared his throat nervously,"O-okay...", he looked at the tea shop down the street."Hey, I could go for some tea, how about you?"

"Sounds like heaven.", she giggled.

"Oh my God, Tigress made a joke!", he fake gasped and pretended to have a heart attack. She giggled more and walked with him into the tea shop. An older monkey with brownish gray fur came out from the back. The place was empty aside from him as everyone in the town didn't really enjoy hot tea on such warm days like these.

"Welcome to Tsu No Bai Teashop. What may I get for you?", he handed them each a menu.

"I guess I'll get a...Jasmine, please.", said Tigress.

"And I'll just have lemongrass.", said Po.

The monkey took back the menus and nodded in respect,"It will be ready in a few minutes. Please make yourselves at home.", he went back inside to make the tea as the two lovers sat down at a table much like the ones at Dragon Warrior Noodles.

The monkey came back out a minute later and set down their cups of tea infront of them, bowed in respect, and went back inside.

Po began to bring his cup to his lips when Tigress quickly pressed a paw to his chest, keeping his arms from bending inward towards his face. She whispered quietly."Wait, Po. Somethings...somethings not right."

Tigress sniffed her tea, pretending to take a sip. Her eyes widened ever so slightly, and she set the cup down with a fake smile, whispering again but making facial gestures as if she was just shooting the breeze with Po."Po, it's poisoned. Pretend to take a sip just like I did. Then when I pinch you, pretend to fall down and die. Don't move until I do."

Po nodded nonchalantly and took a fake sip. Tigress picked up hers and faked another sip. After a minute or so, she subtly and softly pinched Po's thigh and let out a hacking sound as she dropped her cup onto the ground, shattering it as it made contact with the stone. She put a paw over her stomach and hacked some more. Po coughed violently and stumbled back on his chair, landing on his stomach as he turned in his fall. It would be much easier for him to fake not breathing in this position. Tigress got onto her knees and allowed her hand to shakily lay on Po's back before pretending to collapse onto his side.

The Monkey came out, frowning with a sigh."Oh, I'm so sorry masters. But I truly had to do it. You see, I'm going through a..."he sneered evilly as his eyes glowed red and pink, his fur turning a pure black with glowing spots all over his body,"change.", his voice now sounded demented and venomous."Too bad, I would have truly enjoyed killing you personally.", the dead hand of Wuji slid over Po's ass,"And I would have _loved_ to take _this_ one for a ride.", he cackled evilly.

Tigress let out a loud growl as she slowly stood up. Followed by Po, who was more than a little creeped out by the fact that a guy was carressing his ass, let alone by a guy he knew to be dead.

"You are the Fountain Demon, I presume?", seethed Tigress.

The dead eyes of Wuji did not look surprised, but amused at their impressive performance."You would be correct, bitch."

Tigress growled louder and unsheathed her claws.

"Ah ah ah, I don't think so. See, this was just a message. To your group of morons. I will be attacking Kirokuyoru City in one month. My army is now forty thousand strong. You stand no chance.", Wuji straightened up,"Give up. And you will be spared and become generals in my army."

"Hell no! We're going to stop you!", snapped Po.

"Oh? And how might you do that, handsome?"

Po growled this time,"Okay stop, you're just creeping me out."

"Trust me, big boy. When we meet face to face, you won't be able to hold your...'happiness'.", said the dead Wuji as his fingers trailed over Po's jaw, which Po jerked away from him.

"I swear to God, if you touch him!", growled Tigress venomously.

Wuji's eyes glared at Tigress, then he shrugged."Hm, no matter. I've made my point and delivered my message. So now I take my leave.", he turned and walked a few feet away before turning around and bowing."Until next time.", the voice quickly turned into a whisper as the body infront of them crumbled into ash.

Po shuddered disgustedly, then turned around and kissed Tigress passionately. After he broke away from twelve minutes of kissing, Tigress panted, her cheeks turned red."Whoa. What was _that _for?"

"For not being a disgusting dead guy trying to put the moves on me.", he said and gagged a bit."Ugh. Now come on. We need to find the others and plan the next part of our journey. We're leaving immediately.", he took her paw in his and led her out the door.

They eventually found the other five-er, six warriors in the clearing talking alone, all the villagers had either gone home from fear of Tai Lung or to just enjoy the rest of the day in the restaurants. The subject of the warriors' discussion: Tai Lung and his reign of terror.

"I'm serious you guys, I haven't done anything like that! I guess I'm pretty strong, but I couldn't do any of those things!", exclaimed Tai Lung. Or as everyone now had to call him, to everyone's discomfort, Shiro.

Monkey sighed and rubbed his head."Fine, fine, we get it. We give up. Just as long as you don't kick our asses again, you can come."

"So I take it everyone's gotten aquainted?", asked Tigress as she and Po walked up to the circle.

"You could call it that.", mumbled Mantis, but cleared his throat."So what's up? We leaving for the city in the morning?"

"No, we leave as soon as possible. Song, what's the closest village from here and is it on our way?", asked Po.

Song got their map out from her pocket and opened it up."Uhm yeah, there's one, but it's at the top of the Fubuki Mountains. It's really cold."

"Can we make it there by tonight?"

Song laughed as she spoke,"If we're lucky we can make it halfway there by sunet."

"Then we'll double time it. Everybody go pack. Song, here.", he gave Song a handful of Yen,"Go to the store, get Tai-I mean, Shiro a backpack and fill it with water and rations. Oh, and some heavy cloaks for everyone."

She took the money and blinked,"What's the rush?"

"Yeah, I was about to ask the same thing.", said Crane, looking at the two.

Po and Tigress looked at each other, then at the others. Po told them about what happened at the tea shop. Song looked most creeped out, seeing as she was the one that killed Wuji.

"So...we have a whole month! I still don't see what the rush is.", said Monkey.

"Because with forty thousand men at her fingertips, and with her being a master strategist, we need to take out as many of her soldiers as possible before she attacks. And that may take weeks. And Po still has to learn our styles.", Tigress explained.

"Okay? So move out, people!", said Po as everyone started to run back to the town. Po however, grabbed Mantis in mid-hop and whispered,"Bro, do me a favor. I have an errand I need to run and I don't need Tigress following me. If she asks, tell her it's a surprise."

Mantis nodded."Will do, bro. What's the surprise?"

Po had dropped Mantis as he asked his question and was already running in different direction as everyone else, he yelled back,"Tell ya later!", and rounded a corner.

Po looked around frantically at the stores. As he couldn't find what he was looking for, he asked a bunny that was walking along the street in the opposite direction."Sir, do you have a jewelry shop around here?"

Everyone was now waiting for Po at the edge of town where the forest began. Tigress was already irritated. She had to pack Po's things for him and was carrying his bag as well, not to mention her own. She sighed aggravatedly."Mantis, you said he'd be here in ten minutes!"

"Uh, no no! I actually said ten...or twelve minutes...ish.", he mumbled.

"It's been twenty.", snapped Tigress."That's it, I'm going to go look for him.", before the bug could stop her, he heard a voice.

"Hey hold on, I'm coming! Sorry!", yelled Po as he turned a corner into the street they were in and ran in their direction. He had something in his paw. Tigress tried to see what it was, but Po kept moving, and talking, quickly."Hey sorry you had to pack for me hun, I just had a little errand I had to run, and hey don't look in my bag okay? Love ya babe, come on let's go!", as he spoke, he ran up to Tigress, took his bag, put it behind his back, slipped the thing in his paw into his bag with surprising speed, tied it up and gave Tigress a quick kiss before running passed the others into the forest.

Everyone just blinked, but shook their heads to snap back into reality as they followed him.

The group made their way in and out of the forest in an hour and immediately began to run as fast as they could up the slope of the mountain that sat on the edge of the forest. Against her wishes, Po carried Tigress as he ran. But it didn't hinder him, if anything he ran faster.

Eventually the warriors put on their cloaks. Again, Po acted strangely and made Tigress put his cloak on over hers. Nobody argued though, save for Tigress. She was getting pissed and worried about Po's overprotective additude. _Still_, she thought,_ it's very sweet of him_.

"Po, tell me, how am I going to teach you Tiger Style if you're being so overprotective?"

"That's different, we aren't running through freezing tempatures for that!", he smirked, but then his smirk faded and he looked over his shoulder worriedly,"We aren't, are we?"

Tigress just laughed and shook her head. After a few minutes, she gave in and rested her head on the back of Po's head. And before she could stop herself, her eyes lazily closed and she drifted off to sleep.

Suddenly, it began to snow. As they went higher and higher, the snow slowly turned into a blizzard. The group's fast run became a slow jog, a fast walk, and now it was a snail's pace as they marched up the massive mountainside.

It was now three hours since they had started their ascent. Po's feet felt numb. The cold was now slamming into his body with brutal and relentless snaps like a whip to a slave that was disobeying it's master. He shivered slightly and his breathing was now shallow. He was thankful when he noticed Tigress' purring snores. She wouldn't worry about him now. Po made his way to Song, who was trying to hide from the freezing wind as she walked behind Shiro. Shiro was given the map to guide them through.

"SS-Song? How-ww m-m-much longer t-t-till we r-rrreach th-the town?"

"Should be...only an hour awa-way.", she looked at Po,"P-Po!"

Po looked at her,"What?"

Song looked him over with concern. He was shaking, his lips were chapped and pale, his legs were shaking, and his paws, which were holding the makeshift strap he was using to keep Tigress tucked to his body, were almost literally attached to the leatherlike material."N-nothingg, let's just...get to the t-town..", she almost yelled the last words as the wind began to pick up. They were getting closer to the top of the hill. After that it was just a short jog downhill to the town where they could get rooms with warm fires, food, water, and in Po's case, medical attention.

Po nodded and fell back to Crane, who was carrying Viper and Mantis under his cloak. Just like Tigress with her and Po's things, Viper was holding onto hers, Mantis and Crane's bags, which were small because of the events at the edge of the Quin Yun Forest.

Po had to yell in the wind, "C-Crane!"

Crane was staggering from the cold in his legs. His cloak may have been covering his legs, but the cold in his feet was sliding up quickly. He was using his wing to hold his hat against the wind to sheild his face. He glanced to his left side at Po and yelled."Yeah?"

"FFFFFFly up to th-the town and tell them we-we're coming in case we need he-hhhhelp-p-p. I'll carr-ry Mantissss-ss-ss and V-Viper. P-Put them i-in Ti-g-g-g...Ti's cloak!"

Crane eyed the panda concernedly, then nodded and did as he was told. As Crane flew off, he tucked his freezing legs and feet into his warm body, much to the bird's satisfaction. Tigress stirred in her sleep and groaned as she felt Viper shivering against her, while Mantis was doing his best to warm her up by rubbing his tiny feet against her body. It wasn't doing much good. Still, at least now Tigress' fur would keep Viper warm.

Tigress' eyes opened to slits, then she looked at Viper groggily and yawned."Viper? Why are you in mine and Po's bed?"

Viper looked at Tigress with disbelieving eyes."You have GOT to be k-k-k-k-kidding me! You've been that c-c-c-c-c-comfortable?", she hissed and, with guilt no longer keeping her from doing so, she pressed her freezing cold body against Tigress' side to warm up. Tigress yelped and jumped a bit.

"Damn it, that's cold!", she shivered. Eventually though she settled down as her fur allowed Viper's body to warm up. But she looked at the back of Po's head. Even with his back to her she could see him shivering."Po, let me down so I can give you your cloak. You need to get warm."

He didn't answer. She looked at Viper, who looked back worriedly.

"Po! Didn't you hear me? I said put me down!"

Again, no response. Tigress looked at Viper and Mantis, blushing,"Sorry about this. But this is the only way to get through to him sometimes.", she leaned down and whispered in his ear seductively."Poooo. My panda-wandaaaa. If you let me down, I'll get you nice and warm under a blanket when we reach the next town."

Again. No. Response.

Tigress studied him more closely and looked at his ears. Her eyes widened when she saw the insides.

They were blue.

"PO! PO LET GO OF ME AND PUT ON A DAMN CLOAK YOU'VE GOT FROSTBITE!", she struggled in the makeshift straps and stirrups that held her against his back. Po looked back at her as she struggled.

"Whoa, ba-ba-ba-babe! Wh-what's wrong, you oka-", he stopped himself as he couldn't hear himself talk. All he could hear was a soft roaring. He thought it was the wind, but he'd at least be able to hear his own voice. He undid the straps and set her down."I-I can't h-h-hear! I've g-gone deaf!"

Tigress quickly took off her outer cloak and wrapped it around Po, ignoring the sudden cold that sent a chill through her body when her feet hit the ground. Viper and Mantis clung to Tigress' arm and shoulder under the interior cloak.

"Shiro! Song! Monkey! Stop! We need help!", she had wrapped herself around Po's body and rubbed as much as she could as Po shook violently in her arms and clung to the cloak.

The three ran back.

"What the hell? What's wrong with him?", Monkey had been too busy trying to keep himself warm while walking in the front with Shiro. With his mountain climbing experiences, he had to keep an eye out for any signs of snow build up to make sure that they passed no areas where avalanches could occur.

"He's catching hypothermia! Quick, give me some sake!", yelled Tigress.

"Okay, but there's only a little left!", he gave her his last bottle. He was right, it was only a quarter full.

Tigress opened the bottle and put it to Po's lips. He couldn't hear her if she tried to explain, so she just forced the drink into his mouth. Po coughed a bit as the liquid slowly trickled down his now burning throat. He understood what Tigress was doing and kept drinking until it was gone.

"You idiot. Why'd you have to be so overprotective?", she muttered bitterly, then spoke up to Song as she threw the empty bottle to the snowy ground,"How far away are we from the town?"

"Forty-five minutes, tops!"

"Fine then!", she strapped Po onto her back and started to run as fast as she could towards the town. She could see it after she reached the top of the hill, but it was still far away. Much to her annoyance, Po started struggling on her back.

"T-T-T-Ti, put m-m-me down, you shouldn't-t-t-", Po never finished his sentence as Tigress yelled"Mantis! Knock him out!.", Mantis didn't waste a fraction of a second. He slipped out of Tigress' cloak, allowed his body to fly with the wind into Po's body as he smacked into his chest, slipped inside Po's cloak and pressed into a few pressure points at the base of the back of his neck, allowing Po to slip into an unconcious state. Tigress then started running on all fours as fast as she could as she felt Po relax.

She had to be fast, especially now. Po's heartrate would be even slower now that he was unconcious, but now that he wasn't struggling the chances were still better for him.

She approached the town in no time at all. Her legs were going to murder her in the morning. Before the few townspeople that roamed the streets could know what hit them, a cloaked figure burst through the giant wooden doors and roared.

"GET ME A DOCTOR! NOW!"

Crane all of a sudden swooped down and landed infront of her."What's happened?"

"Po's caught hypothermia and has frostbite in his ears! Where's the doctor?"

Crane didn't waste time with words, he just flew off towards the medical building as Tigress rushed behind him, knocking down any unfortunate civillians that got in her way. Crane bursted through the medical building doors, allowing Tigress to run in without having to stop. But she had to when she reached the emergency wing.

A female mountain lion with gray fur began to run to them, she had a doctor's coat on."What's happened here?"

"My boyfriend has caught hypothermia! Please help us!", Tigress yelled.

"Okay, calm down. Come with me, we will help him warm up. You may stay with him, but the rest of you,", she nodded to Crane, and Viper and Mantis who had poked their heads out of Tigress and Po's cloaks,"will have to stay here."

Viper and Mantis slithered and hopped off of Tigress and Po as the two felines ran into the back with the panda.

The doctor led her into the closest available room and closed the door once Tigress came inside.

"Alright lay him down on the bed."

Tigress did as told and took off Po's cloak for him after laying him down. The doctor was shocked that the Dragon Warrior was in her clinic, but remained calm as she laid many blankets over his body and began to rub her paws over his thighs through the blankets.

Tigress let out a growl as the doctor did this. The doctor looked at her, realized what Tigress thought she was doing and blushed. She spoke quickly as to not aggravate the Tiger."Oh, no, you misunderstand. He needs as much heat to enter his body as quickly as possible, and there are medical techniques that can be very effective in warming a person's body. This is an area that focuses much of the body's circulation. I know you wouldn't want me rubbing his genitals, so I was only touching his thighs. Never thought about drifting there, not once."

"Then why don't I do that for you?", Tigress snapped. The doctor nodded and backed away as Tigress walked over and rubbed Po's thighs. And being the only one who was allowed to do so, she rubbed over his groin as well.

"May I have your permission to warm his face and chest?", the doctor asked, not wanting to anger her at all.

Tigress nodded softly and kept rubbing. The doctor gently stuffed cotton into Po's ears to help warm them up and began to rub her warm paws over his cheeks, forehead, neck and chest. They were warming him for over ten minutes, not saying a word.

Meanwhile, in the waiting room. Song, Shiro and Monkey had arrived. They were panting a little.

"How is he?", asked Song.

"We don't know. They've been in there for a while now.", said Crane as he looked at the now shut doors to the hall of patient's rooms worriedly.

"What's wrong with that panda? Is he messed up in the head or something?", asked Shiro.

Song sighed."Shiro, look, Po's just being Po. He's kind, gentle, sweet, caring, and strong. And despite what you may think, he's pretty smart."

"Sounds like you've almost got a thing for him or something.", teased Shiro as he laughed.

Song shook her head and sighed again, but did not answer him. Everyone else was silent.

Shiro looked at everyone, then at Song."Y-you're kidding me, right? A freakin' panda!"

"Shiro, just-just stop! This isn't the time or the place!"

"Too bad, because I want to know. Is there something between you two?"

A nurse came over, a female wolf with tan fur,"Shhhh! Keep your voices down! Whatever you need to argue about, you need to take it outside!", she said in a yelled whisper before walking off.

"Tell me, did you two have something going on?", Shiro growled and spoke quietly, but his voice sounded more hateful than he wanted.

"Shiro, I just...", she let out an annoyed sigh, closed her eyes and put up a paw to him to make sure he would shut up"I-I don't want to talk about this right now, I'm going back there.", she walked into the back to see if she could help. Before Shiro could follow her, Monkey put a paw on his arm.

"Look man, don't worry about it. She just needs time to get over him, okay?"

"Did something happen between those two? Could it again?", Shiro asked.

"It's...not our place to say, Shiro. But no, nothing will ever happen between those two again. They're just friends now, Po and Tigress will make sure of it.", said Viper.

Shiro was irritated, but nodded and sat down.

Back with Po and Tigress.

Po was beginning to get warm again. His ears were no longer blue, but his lips were still frighteningly pale.

Song knocked on the door after opening it slightly, not looking inside."Can I come in?", she asked quietly.

"Song?", Tigress glanced back at the door, she was now sitting by the bed and rubbing Po's lips gently with a cloth that was wet with warm water. The doctor had already left after 'accidently' sliding her thumb over Po's lips and Tigress threatened to rip her thumbs off. The doctor apologized over and over, and left the cup of warm water and the cloth,"Yes, I guess it's okay."

"Thank you.", Song replied and came in, shutting the door behind her. She walked over slowly before pulling up a chair and sitting next to Tigress. A minute or so passed in silence as Song watched Tigress work on Po's lips."Is...is there anything I can do to help?"

Tigress shook her head and spoke softly, she knew that even though Song had loved Po, she would put his health above all else, so she wasn't mad. Tigress hated to admit it, but she was beginning to trust her."No, thank you. He should be fine. As long as that bitch doctor doesn't try anything with him again.", she growled softly for just a second.

"Oh, she tried something?", Song said, trying not to giggle.

"And she won't again if she knows what's good for her."

Song nodded and kept watching. She noticed how Tigress made sure not to get a drop in his mouth so he wouldn't choke. She smiled softly."Tigress, can I ask you some questions?"

Tigress sighed wearily. Their journey had been making her tired enough, and today's events were no different. But she always felt it better to get things out of the way quickly."If you must."

Song was quiet for a few seconds, trying to think of how to word her first question. She opened her mouth to speak,"Why are you so...possessive of Po? You hardly ever let him out of your sight, you get mad when he takes risks, you get extremely paranoid when any female shows him any sort of attention..."

Tigress looked at Song with a raised eyebrow, as if to say,'are you _actually _asking that question?'.

"I know, I know, but not just with me. You growl whenever he walks passed a female in a town, or vise versa."

Tigress sighed."Look. It's just... Po is the only boyfriend I've ever had. He's the only one that's ever shown me any affection, ever. And the thought of losing him...", she thought about Po's death and the sounds she had heard. A tear trickled down her cheek,"I'm so scared that I'm going to lose him...", she carresses his cheek softly as she whispered that last sentence.

A few minutes passed in silence as Song let Tigress recover from her fragile state.

"Why was Po so overprotective of you going up the mountain? I mean, I know Po is a smart guy. But I have to say that was the most idiotic move I've ever seen. And carrying you up? What was that about?"

Tigress stopped dabbing Po's lip. It was getting it's color back anyway. She shut her eyes."Viper, get in here. I'm not going to insult you by not including you in this. You deserve to know first, anyway."

After a minute, Viper came slithering in and shut the door behind her. She slithered onto the bedside table and looked at Po worriedly, rubbing the end of her tail over his shoulder, "Brother, you idiot...", she shook her head and sighed before looking at Tigress.

Tigress blushed slightly and bit her lip."Now don't...tell anyone. _Anyone_, do you hear me?"

Song and Viper nodded. Their eyes widened. If it was making Tigress nervous, it had to be big. They leaned in slightly.

"Po and I...are...", she flattened her ears against her skull, shut her eyes tight, blushed harder and mumbled,"Pregnant."

The room became deathly silent as her words sunk in. But the inevitable hung in the air waiting to drop so that Viper could speak.

Viper's smile. If it could have been measured, it may have been in equal length with the Great Wall. She tackled Tigress and hugged her tight with happy tears in her eyes."Oh my God, this is unbelievable! I'm so happy for you two! I'm gonna be an aunt!", Tigress chuckled and hugged back.

Song swallowed a lump in her throat the size of Po's belly, smiled softly and held back some tears. She dared not speak. She just got up, patted Tigress on the shoulder, turned around and walked out the door back to the waiting room.

Tigress sighed somewhat from Song's departure. But she felt so much better after telling someone the news.

Viper slid into Song's seat and kept her smile on her face.

"So, what are you going to name it? Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Actually, I don't know. It's too early to show any signs anyway.", she replied.

"Then, how do you know if you're pregnant or not? Have you seen a doctor? No of course not, we've been travelling. Then...how?", asked the snake.

"Uh...", Tigress cleared her throat,"Woman's intuition?"

"No, seriously Tigress. How do you know you're pregnant?"

Tigress rubbed the back of her head,"I can't tell you..."

The snake blinked,"Well, could you give me a hint?"

Tigress shook her head."It's not like that."

"Tigress, please. You can trust me."

"It's not that. I just...don't have the heart to tell you."

Viper looked at Po, then up at Tigress."Will I find out eventually?"

"Stop asking me questions, Viper, i don't want to tell you!"

Viper winced."Is it that bad?"

Tigress sighed and leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling. She nodded.

Viper coiled around herself."Please?"

Tigress shut her eyes and let a tear escape them."Po is probably going to die. In three months. He had a vision."

Viper shuddered a gasp and looked at Po, her heart aching for her brother and sister.

"The Fountain Demon will make him hand over his life to keep me alive. I'll be captured because of my condition."

Viper sobbed."No...no. No, no, no, no, no. NO!", she slammed her tail into the wood.

"We spoke with Oogway. He told us of a way to keep any of us from dying. But he made no promises..."

Viper sniffled and nodded."I will do my best to help."

"Thank you, Viper.", said a quiet and weak voice.

Tigress and Viper looked at Po. He was awake.


	19. Chapter 19: Mettle of Honor

Chapter 19: Mettle of Honor

Po had started to sit up slowly. Tigress stood up and hugged him tight.

"Po I'm so glad you're okay.", she sniffled."If I didn't love you so much, I'd kill you for scaring me like that."

Po laughed weakly and coughed. Tigress broke the hug. She moved her head towards her left shoulder, but never left her gaze on Po,"Viper, go get the doctor."

Viper slithered out of the room. Po sat up completely with Tigress' help as he kept coughing. Viper came back a minute later with the doctor. Tigress reluctantly stepped back and stood at the foot of Po's bed with Viper sliding up to Po's feet as the doctor checked his blood pressure, his heartbeat, then put her stethascope to his back and told him to breathe deeply. As he did, they could all tell how raspy and wheezy his breathing was.

The doctor sighed."Well, you've caught a chest cold. Be thankful that that's all you've got.", she said as she checked his ears, then his feet, then his paws. She spent a little too much time studying Po's right paw as she slid her fingers over his palm repeatedly.

Po blushed and looked at Tigress and Viper,"Uhhhhh...", Tigress' ear twitched in anger almost like Shifu's would. She growled and grabbed the doctor by the scruff of her neck before escorting her back outside the room and closing the door behind them as she went to 'talk' to the doctor.

Viper chuckled, slithering up to Po's side."What is it with you and the felines, Po?"

Po blushed, but smirked and shrugged."Guess I need to stop using that catnip cologne."

Viper laughed, but her smile faded. She looked at Po with sad eyes."Po, please don't do anything stupid like this again. You need to focus as much as possible on your training..."

Tigress came back in with a bit of blood on her knuckles. She wiped it off with a rag as she stood there, but looked up when she heard Viper speak up again.

"Please be more careful Po. I-I don't want to lose my brother!", she jumped and hugged Po tightly, crying into his shoulder as he hugged back.

"I'll try as hard as I can, Viper. You have my word.", said Po. Viper noticed that Tigress had come in and sniffled as she wiped her tears away.

"I'll just uh, I'll be in the waiting room. Do you want me to send anyone in?"

Po shrugged and looked at Tigress. Tigress nodded, but said."Yes, but give us a minute or two, okay?"

Viper nodded back and went out the door. Tigress shut the door for her and went over to sit next to Po's bed."Listen Po. I know that you're concerned about my wellbeing, as well as the baby's. But I can and will take care of myself for the next few months. After that, feel free to wait on me hand and foot. But until that time I want you to stop being such a one track-minded doofus!"

Po winced at the lecture, but smiled."Okay, Mai Tai.", he stretched and groaned."Do you think that while we're here I can get my stitches removed?"

"I'll ask a doctor. A _male_ doctor.", she got up and walked to the door as Po chuckled.

She made her way down the hall and looked around. There was hardly anyone around. So she went to the front desk in the waiting room. Everyone looked at her worriedly. With both Song and Viper coming out crying, they were afraid something terrible had happened.

Mantis hopped over to Tigress as soon as she came through the double doors."Is he okay? How is he doing? Does he still have all his limbs?"

Tigress smiled and nodded over her shoulder towards the door."He's fine. He's waiting for you to come visit. Mantis smiled wide and hopped through the doors as quickly as possibly as Tigress went to talk to the receptionist about the hospital's list of doctors.

After half an hour of Mantis and Po talking, Tigress came in looking frustrated. She plopped down on one of the chairs and grumbled as a young female wolf with beautiful white fur and blue eyes came in,"Not one damn male doctor in this whole freakin place."

The doctor smiled at her sympathetically."Yes, I'm sorry Master Tigress. There are hardly any males in our town anymore. Most are either too old or too young to be doctors, or even mates. All the rest were taken by the Fountain Demon.", she said sadly.

Tigress, Mantis, and Po all blinked,"Wait, you mean the Fountain Demon came here and took all of your men?", asked Mantis as the doctor began to remove Po's stitchings carefully. They were done quite well, but were a little frayed from the warrior's journey.

The doctor nodded, never taking her eyes off of the stitches in Po's leg."It wasn't as if she made some passionate speech about war or anything like that. She just came in one day, passed every male in the town, and left. Every single male followed her. Well, except for the children and the very old. Still, some have not seen their sons, nor their fathers, since that day..."

"N...none were left? What about those who were...you know, in love?", Tigress asked, glancing at Po with uncertainty.

"Love has nothing to do with her spell. It is pure lust. That is why only the males with a sexual drive had left.", the doctor sighed and shook her head as she continued working on Po's stitches.

Tigress bit her lip and gripped her knees. Oogway had told them that Po would be immune to her spell. But...was it true? And how could it be? Po was a desirable male, no matter what he thought of himself. And if love couldn't sheild him from that bitch's spell, what could?

Po noticed Tigress' expression and frowned,"Were there any males left that would have had the sexual drive, doctor...?"

The doctor looked up at Po, blinking as she had quickly finished taking out the stitches in his side."W-well, there was one. His name is Master Koru. And my name is Dr. Kimeru", she bowed her head slightly out of respect in the introduction.

"Where can I find him?", asked Po without missing a beat.

"I'm afraid you need to rest for now, Dragon Warrior. You're much too ill to leave the room much less the building.", she said and stood. Po sighed.

"Fine, but is there a way I can speak to him by him coming here? I hate to inconvenience him, but this is urgent."

Dr. Kimeru nodded."I will have a hospital employee take a message to him. But they'll expect payment from you personally. Going to Master Koru is an interesting experience to say the least...", the wolf winced slightly, her face somewhat saddened as she thought of the master.

"'Interesting?'", asked Mantis as he eyed the doctor.

"Yes. Master Koru is a brilliant young man who has a mind for tactics and a the body of a god. But he can be a tad...out of the ordinary.", Dr. Kimeru replied.

"So he's insane?", Tigress asked flatly.

"No no, he's just...well, he doesn't really like to be around other people. He's a bit of a social wall flower. He hardly ever comes out of his home during the daytime except to go out of town for his morning run or to get groceries. Some people think that that's why he was able to reject the Demon's spell. But the only time I've ever seen him for longer than a few seconds, he showed evidence that he should have easily been hypnotised by the Demon."

The three looked at her confusedly, but listened.

"I was out with some friends and we were chatting in a restaurant. He kept glancing over at us from a corner table he was sitting at and sighing, like he wanted to talk to us but couldn't. Eventually we noticed him and started trying to think of ways for him to come over. After all, as the only male in the town being of perfect age to choose as a mate, he was and _is_ highly desirable. And the fact that his body is amazing doesn't hurt either...", Dr. Kimeru blushed slightly and cleared her throat,"Anyways. One of my friends dared another to break the ice and blow a kiss his way. When she did, he blushed and ran out of the building."

"So we know he definitely likes females. That's weird, I wonder why the spell wouldn't work.", pondered Mantis. He shrugged."Well I'm gonna go grab some grub. Want me to bring you back something bud?"

"Sure! Get me a bowl of noodles and some bean buns. Thanks!", said Po.

The doctor stopped Mantis before he left."No bean buns. You need many liquids and shouldn't eat things like bean buns or dumplings.", Po pouted and nodded.

Tigress giggled a little and, after the doctor left for a messenger and Mantis left for some food, she decided to lay down next to Po under the covers and snuggle his side to keep him warm.

They laid there for a minute to enjoy each other. Tigress rubbed her cheek against Po's now stitchless shoulder."Po, I don't like this. What if the Demon takes you away from me?"

Po smiled,"Why do you think I want to speak with Master Koru?"

Tigress looked up at him and blinked wearily. She wasn't really surprised that he could think properly when she couldn't. The day had not been kind to her. Not that it had been kind to him either. But she ached all over and the chats she had to bear that day along with Po's near death experience had made her emotionally exausted. Whereas Po had basically taken a nap for the past hour or so. She laid her head back down and closed her eyes."I don't know, Po. Why?"

Po stroked his thumb over the beautiful patterns that adorned her forehead, causing her to purr quietly."I'll ask him how to resist the Demon's spell. I don't ever wanna be with anyone except my kitten.", he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. She purred louder and hugged his side tighter.

"I love you, Po."

"I love you too, Tigress."

Tigress allowed herself the luxery of taking in his scent one final time before falling asleep.

A few minutes later, as Po laid there just enjoying the sight of her sleeping, a small female goose came in quietly. She was honestly a very pretty young woman, but by the way she carried herself she held no confidence about her. She had on glasses, a black robe, and was carrying a scroll and an ink jar. She waddled up and spoke sheepishly to Po. Almost as if she felt she was dishonoring him by being in his room.

"I-I'm sorry to distrub you, Dragion Warrior, but you asked for a messenger?", she asked and bowed.

"Yeah, thanks. I needed a messege sent to Master Koru.", Po said quietly.

The goose winced,"O-okay. What should it say?", she got out a feather she had pulled out of her body long ago to use just for writing, set the ink jar down on a chair, dipped the feather tip in the ink and got ready to write.

Po breathed in and out slowly.

"Dear Master Koru,

I would like to request for you to come to the hospital as soon as possible to the emergency room. I have urgent business to discuss with you, but as the doctor has forced me to my bedrest, I cannot leave. I apologize wholeheartedly for any inconvenience this is to you, but it truly is an urgent matter and must be handled promptly.

Sincerely,

Po Ping, The Dragon Warrior."

The goose finished writing and laid it on the bedside table so that the ink would dry."Is there anything else I could do for you, Dragon Warrior?"

"Sure, you could call me Po.", he smiled.

The goose smiled back, looking slightly more confident,"Of-of course, Mr. Po."

Po let out a soft laugh under his breath,"I suppose that'll have to do. Now, if you reach into my bag there you can get out the payment for the message.", he pointed to the bags Tigress had set down that were leaning against the adjascent wall facing him. The goose grabbed the scroll, waddled over, got out the small amount of Yen as payment, rolled up the scroll and bowed to Po before leaving.

Finally allowed to sleep, Po quickly took advantage of the situation. He closed his eyes and slowly but surely began to snore softly.

Meanwhile with the others, everyone had gone to a somewhat nice restaurant. Without Po to pay, their choices were limited. This was one of the many topics which were discussed. Everyone laughed at jokes that Monkey made, when he made them at least. Viper and Song were however feeling on the not so friendly side at the moment. Song only ate her meat, and did so slowly. Viper just picked at the salad on her plate.

Mantis glanced at Viper and while Monkey was telling a story about how he and Po had snuck into a bandit's den and accidently mistook one of the bandit's wrapped up tail as a sugar cane in the dark, he spoke so quietly behind his pinscher that only she could hear him.

"Could we go into the foyer and talk?"

Viper nodded. Mantis excused them and followed Viper into the foyer as everyone, especially Shiro, laughed at Monkey's imitation of Po when the wolf bandit chased him around the den.

"What's wrong, hun? Are you feeling sick? Did you catch a cold?", Mantis asked concernedly. Viper smiled at him and kissed him.

"No, Mantis, I'm okay. I'm just sad about Po."

"Oh don't worry, Viper, he'll be okay. I mean it's just a chest cold.", he shrugged and crossed his pinschers like one would cross his arms.

Viper looked at Mantis, her eyes slightly wide. She blurted something out before she could stop herself,"So he didn't tell y-I mean, so he hasn't uhm...been feeling worse sense I left? He was coughing an awful lot. Guess your talk with him really helped him recover.", she smiled and laughed nervously.

Matis squinted his eyes,"You're hiding something."

"What? No I'm not!", she scoffed convincingly.

Though a graceful liar she was, Mantis knew her tell."Yuh huh. I'm calling you on it."

"What makes you think I'm lying?"

Mantis looked around, covered his mouth with his pinschers again and spoke quietly to mention her tell. Viper let her eyes close halfway and she looked down.

"Fine, I'm lying."

"What's wrong with Po?"

Viper then told the bug, as quietly as she could, to what Tigress had told her.

Mantis looked upset. No, he was beyond upset. He was down right seething."How could he not tell me about this? His best friend!"

"Mantis, calm down, I'm sure he would have eventually-"

"Eventually! With three months to go, I'd damn well should've known as soon as he found out!", Mantis hopped angrily out of the restaurant and back towards the hospital at record speed.

Viper slithered back to the table quietly and continued to pick at her salad. The dinner continued to be uneventful for a few minutes longer, except when Crane started droning on about how he needed to buy a new caligraphy set since he had to throw most of it away at the Quin Yun Forest.

Suddenly, the warriors heard a scream as a small horde of oxen rampaged through the streets.

The group ran outside. The horde was really trashing the place. Tipping over carts, kidnapping women, destroying curios. As if by second nature, Shiro sprung into action as he launched himself into one of the oxen's backs. Viper wrapped herself around two oxen by their hooves, making their opposite trajectories cause them to fall on their hides. Monkey jumped onto an ox and started guiding him around by the horns, making him crash into a stone building.

Song, who hadn't had her parasole with her, had to make do with a cane she found lying on the ground. She volleyed herself over the battle and started to smack and slap around the faces of the oxen, discombobulating them as she moved in a rotation through the dozens of enemies smoothly and gracefully.

Crane grabbed ahold of one of the oxen by the horns and flew up into the sky. Before he could get too high however, the ox he was carrying stabbed him in the right wing with a dagger. He let the ox fall as he groaned in pain and fell himself. Before he hit the ground, he flapped a few excrutiating times and landed safely as he got into a defensive stance with one wing. But as he began to deflect the blows coming towards him, he backed into a wall. In no time he was flattened by the three enemies that ganged up on him.

Shiro was swiping his claws at the ox he was fighting. His stance was good but his form was completely off. The ox rammed into his stomach when he saw an opening, causing Shiro to fall back as he attempted to inhale another breath, only to have his throat gripped tight by the ox. Shiro kicked the ox in the stomach, but the ox kept ahold of his throat and tightened his grip. Strong though oxes were, they were stupid enough not to feel pain as easily as other species. And they used it to their advantage.

Viper began to bash the two oxen's heads together repeatedly with her body, but as most of the pain didn't register, the two quickly grabbed ahold of her and began to beat her down.

Monkey was giving his ox a pretty good pummeling. Smashing his fists into it's muscular stomach, though it had made a small effect, it ended up hurting Monkey's paws. He groaned in pain and tried to dodge and block the ox's attacks. Monkey's speed allowed him to dodge with ease, but three more oxen ganged up on him and gave him a run for his money. It didn't take them long until they were holding the speedy primate down and kicking his sides.

Song seemed to be the only one who had any effect on the horde. She smacked into their temples and ears, the force of the smacks making them dizzy. She was even knocking one or two of them out. But it eventually became too much for her as they just kept coming and coming almost endlessly. The leopardess breathed hard and looked around as she saw the horde standing around her. She felt helpless. There seemed to be no end to these things. Out of nowhere, a hoof found it's way to the side of her head. She grunted in pain as she fell to her knees and clutched her bleeding cheek, which had been cut by the hard and sharpened hoof of the leader.

"Ah poor kitty. She has her claws, but knows not how to use them.", he stated with a smug grin. Song hissed at him, but didn't move. She _couldn't _move. The large ox brought his hoof back to finish her off with a hard bash in the face.

Song looked up at him. Though the snow clouds had covered the now starry sky, she thought of how she would never get to see the moon again. She almost laughed at herelf, thinking of the moon when she was about to die. The ox brought his hoof back down to strike and she shut her eyes tight as she waited for the impact.

To her surprise, it never came. All she could hear was a soft clinging sound. She opened her eyes and turned her lowered head slightly to the right, thinking that perhaps the ox had decided to spare her and her friends. But when she opened her eyes, she saw a black and white striped tail. Her eyes followed the tail as her head turned. Instinct took over as she mumbled and rose her head."T-Tigress?", It wasn't Tigress. Though it was a tiger. It was a male tiger. He stood at a good six foot seven. His body was musculur, He wore a pair of the blackest pants you'll ever see. There were small dark green wrappings around his ankles to keep his pant leggings from opening up to the cold. He wore a white long sleeved open cuffed shirt with scarlet red leaf like trim along the cuffs, the inseam and the collar. He had a dark green sash wrapped tightly around his waist to keep his clothes close to his body. He wore no shoes, but his back paws were calloused and scarred, meaning that he had obviously trained them so he would not be bothered by the constant snow that invaded the town. His fur was striped much like Tigress', but instead of orange he held a pure white, almost silvery glow about him. Though she could not see it right away, the male's snout and chin were jutting out slightly as if he had endured many beatings in his past. He held in his rather large paws a pair of silver colored tonfas which, due to the reflection of his eyes in them, were obviously made of metal. She could barely see them from her kneeling position, but she could see that they were a deep shade of green.

The tiger growled feircly at the ox, who was trying to push his fist through the tiger's tonfas. The tiger's voice was deep, but almost soothing to Song. Like listening to the rumble of a heartbeat as you fell asleep.

"I told you never to come back here, Ansho! Leave these good people alone!", the tiger said pushing forward.

The ox, presumably Ansho, pushed back with a cackle,"We ran out of women and food, so we decided that it was time to pay you another visit."

The tiger roared in Ansho's face. Then he kicked the ox in the face with amazing flexibility and force, using the ox's confusion to momentarily let go of his tonfas that were pressing into the hoof to do a flip kick into Ansho's face when he tried to recover. Then before the leader could fall back, the tiger grabbed his hoof, pulled him in swiftly and did over a dozen harsh palm strikes into his abdomen within a couple of seconds. Each and every painful impact could be heard by Song, but it was music to her ears as the ox fell to the ground coughing up blood and clutching his stomach. She herself got up and began to fight off the other oxen as she had before after being given enough time to recover.

The lackies, after seeing their leader being beaten like a rag doll, were confused and were now easier to take down.

Song and the tiger fought their way to Shiro, who was slowly losing his fight. He had managed to push his legs against the ox, keeping himself from being strangled, but the ox still had a good grip on his throat. Song slammed her cane into the back of the ox's head hard, knocking it out. Shiro got up and coughed a bit. Before he could thank her though, she ran off to help Crane, who was still in the middle of being pummeled to death.

The tiger ran to the jerks that were beating on Viper. He whistled at them. When they looked at him, he jumped imbetween them and did a perfect split kick into their faces, breaking their noses. He landed on the snow around Viper and picked her up before rushing the unconcious snake into a nearby shop. He came back out and ran towards the thugs who had surrounded Monkey.

Song spun and slammed the end of her cane into one of the ox's temples. It immediately fell as Shiro came up behind another and snapped it's neck before slashing the other's throat. The oxen that were just looting instead of fighting, decided to flee. A couple of them hauled off their bloody leader.

The tiger landed two calloused paws into the face of one of the oxen that were holding Monkey down in a double kick. He then unsheathed his claws and slit the throats of a couple oxen that were standing up and beating the primate, then he performed a spin kick to the last one's chest, sending him flying into a stone wall only to collapse as the back of his skull had now busted open.

The tiger helped Monkey up by holding out a paw. Monkey accepted it and groaned as he held his side."Thanks buddy, but damn that hurt."

The tiger nodded,"Sorry.", he looked over at the others as they approached him."Your snake friend is laying in that shop over there, she was unconcious before I could intervene. I suggest everyone should go to the hospital.", he glanced at Song, who was staring at him. He blushed, and hard. Then he began to mumble."Anyways, I must be going to the hospital as well. Perhaps I will see you all there.", he looked at Song, blushed even more and ran off.

"Bit of a queer fellow, don't you think?", asked Shiro as he rubbed his aching throat.

"Hm? Yes I suppose so...", replied Song as she walked away to the shop to retreive Viper.

The tiger ran through the streets towards the hospital. He stopped dead in his tracks when he reached the entrance. He sighed heavily, tried to groom his messy fur which always seemed to be messy, put his tonfas in his tightly wound sash, and went inside. He walked up to the receptionist's desk and mumbled,"I was asked to speak with the Dragon Warrior?"

The antelope blinked,"I'm sorry Master Koru, what did you say?"

He mumbled in the same volume as before, but spoke up to say 'Dragon Warrior'.

"Ah yes, of course. I believe he is expecting you?", she said as she got up and started to lead him towards the patient's rooms. Koru nodded sheepishly. When they reached the room, the antelope left him at the doorway after bowing in respect. Before he realized what she was doing and attempted to bow back, she already had her back to him. He sighed again and started to knock on the door. That is, until he heard a muffled yell from inside the room.

"I mean, damn it! Couldn't you confide in me? I deserved to know, man!", said one. It was a male, and it sounded upset.

"I didn't want you to feel burdened!", said another male.

Koru hesitantly put his ear up to the door.

"It's not like I had a choice, Mantis! Viper practically ripped it out of me! You know how relentless she is!", said another voice. It was a female this time.

"I don't care about that! _I _should have known! _Me_!", the first voice, apparently Master Mantis, started to sob."Po, I'm not ready for this!"

There was a silence for a minute before Po spoke up."You think I am? To have to leave the one I love and my own unborn kid? Alone? With a witch like the Fountain Demon running loose in the world?"

Koru could hear the female sniffling. He had no idea what was going on, but stepped back. Unfortunately, he stepped back right into Dr. Kimeru, who was watching him the whole time. He spun around and blushed after he felt her hourglass figure on his back.

"Uh! Uh, I'm so so sorry! I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I was j-just waiting for a good time to come in!", he rubbed the back of his head and looked down, his face turning redder as the white wolf smiled at him.

"It's okay, Master Koru. The Dragon Warrior is expecting you.", she said softly.

"I-I don't know if this is the right time, I-", he was interuppted when Tigress slammed the door open, she looked angry.

"Look pal, I don't know who you think you are, but you've got no right listening in on our conversation!", snarled Tigress.

Koru stepped back again, this time making sure not to step into the doctor again."I'm-I'm sorry, you-you-you're right.", he bowed lowly.

Tigress eyed the male, then realization hit her. It was a male,"Are you Master Koru?"

He looked at her and blushed with a nod,"Y-y-y-"he cleared his throat,'Yes I am."

Tigress spun back around and walked back into the room as she spoke,"Come on, Po's been expecting you."

He hesitated until the doctor gave him a little nudge. Well, it wasn't so much a nudge as it was a soft brush from her paw into small of his back, which made him yelp slightly and blush again as he walked quickly into the room. Dr. Kimeru giggled and closed the door for him.

Koru looked at Po and bowed."Y-you requested my presence, Dragon Warrior?"

"Yeah, but just call me Po. Dragon Warrior's just a title.", waved Po.

Koru nodded and motioned to see if he could sit down. Po nodded to him and Koru sat down.

"S-so, how can I help you?", he looked at Po, but also to Mantis, then Tigress, but then blushed and looked down at the floor.

Tigress rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. The doctor's description was perfect. Great.

Po smirked as he saw Koru blush and looked at Tigress,"Doc wasn't kidding, was she?"

Tigress let out a scoff like laugh and shook her head."Apparently not."

Mantis, who was still recovering emotionally from his outburst, just sat on Po's covered foot and listened.

"Master Koru, we were told that...you were the only male left in the village after the Fountain Demon came, is that true?", asked Po.

Koru mumbled,"Yeah, so?"

Po sighed,"Well, you see...we will be fighting the Fountain Demon soon. She has a massive army and has an incredible tactical mind. But that spell she used...I need to make sure that I don't fall under it. Tell me...how did you resist the spell?"

Koru looked at Po, then looked down again."I'm sorry, Dra-...Po. But I don't know. I have...urges just like any other male. And truthfully I was very attracted to the Fountain Demon. But when she was taking them away, I just...didn't move like the others. My, er, desires, had subsided immediately and I had no need to follow like they did."

"Did you do anything unusual that day? Like eat some weird fruit that gave you bad breath or something?", asked Po.

"N-no, it was my normal routine that morning. I woke up at five, went for a light run around the mountain, ate breakfast, trained with my staff...", he trailed off and blushed. Again.

"And that's when the Demon came?", asked Tigress.

"No...I had finished my staff training for almost an hour before that."

Tigress growled in frustration."Then what did you do in that hour?"

"I-It doesn't matter, it holds no value to the problem."

"Anything you could tell us would be of help, no matter how insignificant.", Tigress said through bared fangs as she did her best to control her temper.

Koru blushed harder and looked down as he mumbled,"I was...in the greenhouse.", he shrugged.

"The greenhouse? What did you do there?", asked Po.

Koru blinked and gulped as he shook his head and shrugged again, stuttering."I-I-I was just enjoying the...the flowers.", he began to take an amazing and sudden interest in one of his claws.

Tigress growled,"Just spit it out.", she muttered,"This is getting aggravating."

Koru flinched slightly and turned his head to the side, his tiger pride starting to get to him."It's...none of your business."

Mantis spoke up, he'd been eyeing the tiger. After studying Viper's lies for so long, he was beginning to become an quite good at reading people."You were following a girl.", he said with a sly smile.

The tiger growled at Mantis, who was used to Tigress' growls, and this guy's was no where near as scary. So the bug just chuckled.

Something inside Tigress' head clicked, and she spoke,"This girl, what is she to you?"

"I told you, it's none of your damn business!", Koru growled.

Po put his paw on Koru's arm, causing the tiger to snap his head in his direction,"Master Koru, please. The more she meant to you the more likely it is that you can help us."

Koru looked down, his frustrated face not covering his cheeks that were now a rosy red again."I...I don't know what she is to me. We don't really talk, and she rarely sees me."

Mantis raised a brow,"She rarely sees _you_. But _you _can see _her_. You've been spying on her?"

The tiger blushed more and nodded, not looking up.

"What plant were you standing, or perhaps hiding by when you were spying on her?", Tigress asked as she tried to resist the urge to smack the male for being so disrespectful as to spy on a woman.

"Uhm, i-it was a-actually two different types of flowers. Violets and Tulips..."

Tigress put her finger and thumb to her chin as she crossed her arms,"Hmm. Makes sense. Violets, the flower of faithfullness, and Tulips, the flower of unfaded love."

Koru stared at her wide-eyed."Y-you're serious?"

Tigress nodded."It's possible that the combined aromas of the flowers, along with your feelings for the girl you were spying on, could have kept your mind from being controlled by the Demon."

Po grinned wide,"This is awesome! Now I have a way to resist her spell!"

Just then, Dr. Kimeru came in after knocking. She walked in carrying a bottle of pills and a glass of water, her cheeks were red. She seemed to try and avert her gaze away from Koru as she went to Po's side and handed him the glass of water,"Here, Dragon Warrior. You need Zinc and Vitamin C to help break up the mucus that's in your lungs.", she poured two different colored pills into her paw and put them in his paw. He swallowed it as she turned around and accidently bumped her leg into one of Koru's long legs. She yelped slightly and blushed more before bowing in an apology and quickly left the room. The entire time, Koru had kept his head down and wouldn't look at the doctor.

Tigress studied this whole scene. And when the doctor left, she narrowed her eyes as she noticed Koru's sigh of relief while rubbing the spot the doctor had bumped into him.

"Master Koru...have you been spying on Dr. Kimeru?", she asked.

Koru looked up at her, surprised that she had read him so easily, then he growled and looked away. Tigress shook her head and chuckled.

"And I thought Po was predictable."

"Hey!", said Po with a smile.

"It's true, man.", said Mantis.

"Yeah, alright.", Po stated in a faked defeated tone.

Master Koru sat there listening to them, but sighed and stood up."Well, I am glad to have been some help to you, Dragon Warrior.", he bowed."I hope we meet again someday.", he started to walk out of the room, but stopped in the doorway when Po spoke.

"Hey, why don't you come with us?"

Koru, without turning around, let out a soft growl."No. I need to protect these people."

"You can protect them by getting their men back from the Fountain Demon.", Tigress stated.

"N-no...", he gripped the doorway, his claws unsheathed as they dug into the wood. Like he was making sure that they didn't try to pull him away from his home."I have to stay...people are counting on me."

"You'd be protecting Dr. Kimeru."

He spun around and spat,"I can protect her just fine where I am now!"

Tigres growled,"Look at the bigger picture here. Once the Demon has taken over China, she will likely kill anyone that stands in her way, and anyone that those people love."

Koru stiffened and growled back coldly,"Then I won't stand in her way.", he ran out the door down the hall on the left side.

"Th-that idiot!", Tigress ran after him.

A few seconds later, Dr. Kimeru sidled into the doorway, blushing quite a bit."Uhm. I'm sorry to bother you, but..."

"You heard the whole thing.", Mantis said.

Dr. Kimeru nodded and walked into the room to sit down.

Po rubbed the back of his head at the awkwrad silence in the room and decided to try and keep a non-awkward conversation going."Hey, so when do you think I'll be able to leave the hospital?"

The doctor shrugged, her elbows leaning on her hips as her forearms rested on her legs, she had her paws clung together and she was looking at the floor."Three days perhaps? Two if you take it easy."

"That's great, thanks.", he replied.

Another silence filled the room. Mantis looked at Po as Po did the same to Mantis. Neither of the males had any idea what to say.

Meanwhile with Master Koru.

The Master ran out of the hospital, passing the rest of the Five, Song, and Shiro.

"What's wrong with him?", asked Monkey.

"I dun-", Song was interuppted when Tigres came roaring passed them."Nevermind."

The five warriors continued their pace into the hospital.

Master Koru ran through the streets of the rather large town. He didn't want to see anyone. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He needed a place to hide to vent his emotions and his home was on the other side of town. So he powerslid into an alley where he knew it was a deadend, not knowing that the famous Master Tigress was hot on his tail. He ran to the dead end and began to slam his fists into the brick angrily.

Tigress stopped in the alleyway, panting as she saw him venting his frustrations."You imbecile.", she growled.

Koru spun around and looked at her. It was then when she noticed his face. He looked incredibly angry. But the look in his eyes showed a hint of fear. Tears were trying desperately to escape his eyes, but he would not allow it. She had seen this expression before, in herself.

Nonetheless, she had no sympathy for this coward. She rushed over to him and slammed her palms into his shoulders, forcing the unsuspecting tiger into the brick wall.

"You have no sense of bravery, do you? You are a disgrace to the honor of being a tiger! If these people really mean so little to you, then why don't you just get rid of the middleman and join the Demon?"

"I said that I wanted to protect them!", he hissed back.

"So you're protecting them by not protecting them!", said Tigress as she remembered Po and Master Storming Ox's argument at Gongmen Prison.

"Yes! No! I-"

"You what? You what? You think this is a game? Some test that the gods have set for you so you can muster up the courage to ask Dr. Kimeru out and live happily ever after, and this war will never happen?", she yelled.

Koru growled low, but looked away from her. A tear escaped his left eye."I...I don't want to leave her or this town...it's been my home for as long as I can remember..."

Tigress scoffed."Have some freaking dignity. You call yourself a master?"

"No I do not!", he muttered angrily.

"Then why do these people call you _Master_ Koru? Are you not a master of Kung Fu?"

"I know Kung Fu. But I am not worthy of being a Master.", he said sadly.

"Not worthy of being a master? Then how d-", she eyed him, then backed away to let him go. The only way one could be given the title of master without earning it, would be to be given the honor by the emporer, which waved bye bye to this guy a long time ago since he was such a social outcast, or for the lone master of a lone student to die and leave the student with the master's responsibilities."I...I'm sorry. How long ago was this?"

"Four years ago. He was slaughtered in his sleep.", Koru stated bitterly."And I _have_ to do my master proud!"

"Then you can _make _him proud by defending China in this war! Please help us."

Koru sat there for a minute in thought. After Tigress had let go of his shoulders, he had slumped to the snowy ground. He started to whisper a bit, so softly it was like he was talking to himself.

After a while he blushed softly and finally said out loud."If you can get Dr. Kimeru to come as well...I will join you."


	20. Chapter 20:A Smile For A Bruise

Chapter 20: A Smile For A Bruise

Tigress was a lot of things. In her mind she was simple, but to others she was complex. She was graceful in battle, beautiful, strong, quick thinking, polite when the situation called for it, agile and flexible. Just to name a few. But one word that everyone that knew her knew not to describe her as, was matchmaker. Another was patient.

The master of the tiger style growled at one of the few other tigers left in China. His request was insurmountably unfair. She balled her paws into fists and glared at the silvery white tiger.

"What? I can't do that, that is not in my power! And it isn't right for you to pull a woman away from her home like that, away from her friends and family!", she growled yet again as the other tiger, Master Koru, stood up with his head bowed.

"I'm sorry. But I just can't leave without her."

"If you want her to come, you're going to have to ask her yourself!", she snapped.

"I...I can't. I just can't.", he shut his eyes tightly and growled in frustration before continuing his task earlier as he punched into the bricks of the buildings surrounding them.

Tigress crossed her arms. Her words were kind, yet her tone was cold."Why not? Your an attractive male, and a Kung Fu Master, no matter how you got the title."

Koru kept punching and palming, trying to ignore her. But she could see the heat run to his cheeks at her compliments.

"The way I see it, you-"

Koru interuppted her. Not with words, but with his actions. He slammed his fist into the wall infront of him and left a massive crack with the last punch. He stood still in his position. He showed no signs of pain, but his knuckles were bleeding heavily as a stream of scarlet gently made a stream in the cracks below his fist.

"I'm a monster, why should someone so beautiful accept an invitation from me?", he almost whispered his words, but they were cold and emotionless.

Tigress flattened her ears back. It was almost like looking in a mirror."Doesn't that hurt?"

Koru straightened up and examined his bleeding knuckles."I can feel the blood leave my body. I can feel the liquid pass over my open wounds. But the wounds themselves do not hurt. I feel no pain."

Tigress almost felt bad for him. She knew the pain he must have endured to acheive such a feat, having acheived it herself. She sighed."Come on. Let's get them wrapped before you lose too much blood.", he said nothing but followed her back to the hospital. To keep people from staring as well as to keep any more blood from dripping onto the snow on the ground, Koru slid his paws into his wide sleeves and clasped them as the white fabric started to stain a deep red.

When they arrived they went straight to Po's room where everyone was now occupying it. Dr. Kimeru saw Koru's sleeves and gasped.

"M-Master Koru, what happened?", she rushed over to him and examined his paws as he brought them out from inside his sleeves.

Koru blushed and shrugged with a mumble,"Just a scratch...i-it doesn't hurt."

"He was punching a brick wall.", said Tigress.

Dr. Kimeru gave him a concerned look, then walked out of the room saying,"I'll go get some bandages."

Koru put himself in the lotus position in the corner of the room and sighed a bit through his nostrils while trying to keep his blood from pooling onto the floor, using the torso of his shirt to wipe the continuous residue away. He then looked up and started to blush. Everyone was looking at him."What?"

Monkey was sitting in one of the chairs on the far side of Po's bed. Viper was coiled at Po's feet and Mantis sat with her. Crane was standing by their pile of bags in the corner. Tigress was still standing by the door, but she wasn't looking at him. Po kept glancing at him, but he was busy eating noodles. Song was sitting in Shiro's lap who was sitting in a chair on the other side of Po's bed.

"Well, we've never heard of someone enduring anything like that except Tigress. So it's kinda...I guess making us nostalgic? I guess that's the word?", said Crane and shrugged.

Tigress smirked, but walked over to Po and sat down at his side.

Koru's ear twitched."Oh."

"So have you decided to come with us?", asked Po after slurping up a couple noodles.

"Uh, well...", he glanced at Tigress, who rolled her eyes,"I-I don't know...", he blushed in embarrassment.

"Well come on, man, what's it gonna take for you to go with us? Most of us have seen your moves, you kick serious ass!"Monkey stated.

Dr. Kimeru came walking in as Monkey said this. Her face looked a little sad as she knelt down infront of Koru and began to dab the blood off of his knuckles with the gauze she brought in.

Koru shook his head, his face beet red,"I don't know. It's...it's hard leaving a place that I've lived in for so long. Where there are...people I care about.", he mumbled and glanced at Dr. Kimeru and looked away.

Monkey nodded, but said nothing.

Koru growled softly as he felt their eyes continue to stare at him,"Could you all please stop looking at me?"

Everyone granted his request, except Tigress. She was giving him a do-it-now-or-don't-do-it-at-all look.

He flinched, and Dr. Kimeru looked at him,"I thought you said this didn't hurt?"

"I-It's not. Just thinking..."

"About?", she asked as she began to wrap his knuckles in bandages. He didn't answer her for a full minute, as if contemplating a lie.

"I don't want to talk about it. Much less here..."

She took his paw in hers and stood up,"Come on, then. We'll talk in the hall.", she tugged a bit when he wouldn't budge.

He growled softly and stood up before going with her, shutting the door behind him.

Mantis immediately spoke up after he heard their footsteps fade away."Great, now we have _two _Tigresses in the group.",everyone looked at him as if he had snot coming out of his nose, he continued,"You know what I mean!"

Tigress sighed,"We may also be getting a doctor in the group, too. Can't say I'm not relieved, all things considered."

"Since Po keeps getting hurt?", asked Crane.

"Yes, of course.", Tigress lied.

Meanwhile, with Koru and Dr. Kimeru.

Dr. Kimeru took Koru down the hall in the opposite direction of the waiting room and around a corner. She sighed softly.

"Okay, Master Koru. What's wrong?", she asked.

Koru wouldn't look at her. He again had his back facing a wall. Only this time part of him didn't want to move from the spot. Nor let go of the paw that was holding his. But as his pride surged through his veins, he withdrew his paw from hers with reluctance.

When he wouldn't say a word she spoke again,"Is this about how you've been spying on me?"

Koru's eyes shot open when he stared at her, blushing wildly before he looked away again and growled."I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Please, Koru, I heard you talking to the Dragon Warrior. You were watching me in my grandmother's greenhouse that day, weren't you?"

His tail twitched when she didn't call him master. Unbelievable as it was, he didn't feel disrespected. He remained silent. He would not confirm or deny it. Rather that than to admit his shame.

The wolf narrowed her eyes,"Is that what you were thinking about?"

Koru managed to build enough courage to shake his head, still not looking at her.

"Then what is it? You can trust me, Koru.", she laid a paw on his shoulder. He supressed both a growl and a purr, scrunching his face up.

"I have no right to ask you.", he managed to whisper. His paws balled into tight fists.

The wolf's ears perked up slightly. She moved a little closer to him, allowing her forearm to rest against his chest as well."Ask me what?"

Koru shook his head again,"You don't hardly know me."

"I would like to start."

"You lie, no one would want to know me."

"I'm not lying, Koru-"

"Yes you are!", he growled,"You and everybody else..."

The doctor's ears flattened against her head, she looked down slightly."I-I know...you have led a bad life...I heard many rumors-"

"You don't know me, you only know a monster that parents told their children stories about to stay obedient!", he hissed through bared fangs. She gripped the fabric of his shirt. She swallowed hard. It would be naive of her to tell herself she wasn't a little frightened of Master Koru. After all, he was an expert in his field and had the strength to boot. But she would also be lying if she said that her heart didn't ache for the man she had vaguely known for so long. The stories of a child in the village abused echoed through her mind. Her memories played back for her of a young tiger laughing, then crying. He looked so unhappy when he left...

"I'd like...to think that I am the closest person to you in this town. And it gives me pride. I do not claim to know you, Koru. But I do claim to know you the most.", she brought her paw up to his cheek. He started to jerk away, but she let go of his shirt and held his other cheek with her other paw. She tried to catch his eyes with her own as he still kept his head down.

His face was blood red, and his eyes were filled with tears. But he couldn't allow her to see them. To show weakness. One of his biggest, if not his biggest fear, was standing right infront of him. The very woman that held his face in her paws was ironically the one that held his heart. But his pride, though it was slowly melting away, would not allow him the risk of feeling betrayed and alone. Again. He attempted to back away, but his back was already to the wall. So he simply leaned back slightly as he breathed heavily through his nose.

"Look at me.", she said. Her expression was determined and unyeilding. When he didn't move his head, she gently jerked his face upwards and repeated."_Look_ at me!"

He reluctantly obeyed, raising his head to meet her eyes with his own. His deep grassy eyes met her icy blue ones. Her gaze was like a trap that he immediately fell for. He could feel her eyes as if they were cutting into him to examine his very soul. It was frightening and exhilerating at the same time. He did his best not to bring his lips to hers. If he leaned down only a few inches, just a few inches, he would kiss the one he'd been dying to kiss for so long. He could practically inhale her scent if he tried, but he resisted the urge. Though her perfume, if it wasn't just her naturally sweet scent, wasn't making it easy.

"You...are not...a monster. Your Kung Fu may not be legendary like the Furious Five or the Dragon Warrior, but you have saved this town more times than I can count. And I greatly admire you for that.", she let her paws drop from his cheeks, much to both Koru and hers disatisfaction."Now ask me what you wished to ask me."

Koru swallowed a massive lump in his throat. His mouth was dry. His legs weren't trembling, but they felt very weak."They want me to go with them to fight the Fountain Demon..."

She nodded,"Yes, I know. I heard."

Koru breathed in a deep breath, shut his eyes tight and flattened his ears against his head as he spoke this next sentence in a fast paced jumble"I told them that I wouldn't go without you!"

Dr. Kimeru looked shocked, she backed away slightly when he basically yelled his request at her. He grimaced when she backed away.

"I knew I shouldn't have asked...", he turned to leave, but she grabbed his paw and with all her might she pulled to keep him from dashing off in a rage. He turned his head to look at her. She was shaking slightly as she tried to keep him from moving another inch. He stopped resisting and straightened up, inadvertantly pulling her against him with his great strength. They both blushed when she made contact with his chest. But she didn't move away. Instead she leaned against him and looked up at him.

"You...didn't really ask me, you know...you just..yelled it at me.", she said softly.

"Sorry...just nervous...", he mumbled. He wanted to move away from her. It was too close for his comfort. Not that he wasn't enjoying every second of it, but he had never been this close to anyone in his _life_.

The wolf nodded, never looking away from his eyes."Now ask me again. With a real question this time..."

His body stiffened,"W-Would you go with me when I leave to help the Dragon Warrior and his group?"

She smiled and nodded,"I'd love to.", she leaned up and kissed his cheek. She leaned up a bit more as she got on the tips of her toes and whispered in his ear,"And my first name is Yunwei."Koru's cheeks turned almost purple from the amount of blood that filled them as her cheek brushed against his when she went back to her normal height.

Yunwei giggled softly and walked back down the hall to tell the head of the hospital that she was quitting. Koru stood there for a few minutes, trying to register what exactly just happened.

He managed to finally maintain his composure, turn around and walk down the hall back to Po's room. Song, Shiro, Mantis, and Viper had left to get hotel rooms for the night. Crane and Monkey were about to leave when Koru came in and bowed to Po

"I would be honored to help you. As long as Dr. Kimeru can come as well.", said Koru.

"Of course, man.", grinned Po.

"Good job. Took me almost two years to finally admit my feelings for Po.", Tigress said.

"Yeah but it took me _eleven _years to admit my feelings for you. So I guess I beat you all there in the 'secret crush' department.", chuckled Po.

"Actually, no Po.", said Koru, scratching the back of his head nervously."I've had feelings for Kimeru for almost twenty years..."

"Wow. He got _you _beat.", joked Monkey. He then yawned."It's been a long day. See ya in the morning, buddy?"

"Sure Monkey. Night."

"Night.", he walked out of the room.

"Yeah I'm going too. Gotta get up early to find another caligraphy set.", he waved at them with his uninjured wing and walked out.

"Well i guess I should go home, too. I need to start packing.", Koru said while standing up.

"Hey before you go...I was wondering. And I'm sorry if this is too personal a question, but Tigress told us how you became a master after the others told us about your fight with the ox horde. Who killed your master?", asked Po.

Koru spoke with a tone as normal as if he was just talking about the weather."A horrid snake named Wing Fe Jiong. Slipped in one night like a coward and ripped my master's throat out in his sleep."

"You don't sound that upset about it.", said Tigress.

He shrugged,"It was four years ago. Nothing I could do about it then, nothing any of us can do about it now."

"No, it's like you don't even care about your former master.", she said, sitting up from her laying down position at Po's side. Po looked back and forth at the two, hoping this wouldn't end in a fight. It was just a small conversation, but if Koru was anything like Tigress, a fight could pop up out of no where.

Koru growled softly, but breathed in deep and closed his eyes as he let out his breath before speaking as if he was reciting an oath."My master was a strong person who did his best to train me from when I was a child."

"But was he a good person...", asked a voice. Koru turned around and saw Dr. Kimeru standing in the doorway with a sad expression, though she held a small smile for him.

"Yunwei...", Koru sighed.

Tigress crossed her arms,"Your paws...all four of them are either scarred or numbed to a point of pain being impossible to feel. And your face is slightly deformed-evidence of bones being broken over and over again."

The white tiger sat back down and stared at the floor. Yunwei walked over to him and put her paw on his shoulder.

"My master...was a good master. He did many good things for a lot of people. But he had been scorned by his family and disowned just because he chose to marry a woman not of his species. But shortly after their marriage, she was assassinated. By my master's own family. He became dark after that. He said that the gods demanded him to become more traditional or his life would forever become a symbol of dishonor.

"When he found me in the streets when I was four, he immediately began to train me. He would not allow me to go outside unless I was with him, training. Which was a rare thing for us to do outside. If I wasn't training, I was sleeping, and if I wasn't sleeping, I was meditating. I was allowed one meal a day. This made me very weak on a regular basis, so I would often try to sneak into the kitchen and get a snack. Most of the time I was lucky. The other times...", he pressed his fingers to his cheek and growled softly, but continued. Yunwei had sat next to him, Tigress stood there on the other side of Po's bed. Po was gripping his sheets as if he had reason to strangle them.

"Let's just say that there was a point when I was six when the people of this town forced him to hand me over since he never actually adopted me. Best week of my life.", he muttered that last sentence a little bitterly. Yunwei smiled a bit."That was when I met Yunwei. The Kimeru family took me in and treated me like a kid should be treated. I got to eat, sleep and play.", he sighed,"But when master wanted me back, he ended up breaking Mr. Kimeru's arm just to get the point across. From that point on it was even worse. He allowed me two meals a day so I wouldn't go hungry. But I started sneaking out of my room for...other reasons.", he looked at Yunwei and blushed."But he caught me every time. Eventually I stopped trying and began focusing more on my training. I thought that if I kept training, I would stop thinking about that wonderful week I had."

"But how did your paws end up like the way they did? I can understand ironwood trees for your front paws, but surely you didn't kick the trees all those years?", asked Tigress.

Koru curled the toes of his massive feet as if they could feel the old days."It wasn't ironwood trees. My master would make me jog barefoot up Shreiker's Pass."

Yunwei covered her mouth with her paw."Are you serious?"

"What's Shreiker's Pass?", Po asked, seeing a perfect oppurtunity to actually talk.

"It's a path made completely out of ice that starts from the bottom of the Giant's Hill, the tallest hill in the Quin Yun mountains, and ends at the top. They say that whoever gets to the top would find the kingdom of a long since dead civilization. But the path is so jagged...it's like a street of broken glass.", said Yunwei.

"I don't know about a kingdom, but there is a cave up there. I would have to go up there at least once a week and punch into the walls of the cave. When I started getting discouraged, master would have the audacity to tell me that, if I managed to tear down the stone walls, he would allow me to live with the Kimerus again. And that's the way it always was...until the night he died."

Yunwei had her paw on Koru's leg and was rubbing it softly. Koru didn't even notice until he finished his story. When he noticed where her paw was, he actually _did_ faint this time. Yunwei giggled softly.

"Wow. For someone who's had such a rough life, he can sure be bashful, huh?", stated Po.

"I guess he'll just have to get used to it.", she said with a smile while stroking Koru's cheek with the back of her finger."Anyways, I best start packing so I can go to bed soon. We'll be leaving early tomorrow morning, right?"

"But I thought I was on bedrest?", Po blinked.

"Eh, you just need to be careful. For instance, wearing a shirt might be a nice start. Besides, I'll be with you.", she replied before walking to the door.

"Okay...but wait, what about him?", he pointed to the passed out tiger.

"I'll drag him to his home. Can you show me the way?", Tigress lifted the surprisingly heavy tiger, which was saying something because of his height.

"Thank you, Master Tigress. Come on.", she walked out of the room followed by Tigress who carried the white tiger.

After he was certain they had left, Po immediately starts to cough hard, spitting up mucus into a rag. He had been dying to do that since he finished his soup.


	21. Chapter 21: To Prank A Prankster

Chapter 21: To Prank A Prankster

Every sound in his mind was soft. Soft but loud. He heard rushing water like he was sitting next to the banks of the rapids. The only rapids he could think of were the ones that were a day's walk from the Jade Palace. So _that's _where he was. The body of water had no name, but there was good reason for it. Hardly anyone knew it was there. The rapids were seperated from public view, not only because of the scarcity of the villages around the area, but beause most of the forest that surrounded that section of the water was filled with sharp bushes of bristles and thorns.

He often remembered times when his master would bring him here when he was younger. Just barely an adult, but he still needed guidance. Especialy through the maze of paths that led to the waters. He would often laugh inwardly in rememberance that because his Master was protected by a shell, it was always easier for him to get to the rapids. Where as he would always have the habit of swishing his tail around impatiently, and end up getting it caught in the painful bushes.

But after a while he came to recognise how patient he would have to be. And after his master- no...no, he wouldn't think of him as just a master anymore. On more than one, hell more than a dozen occasions he would go to the village at the bottom of the Thousand Steps and drink his sorrows away at the fact that he never called his master what he really thought of him as. A father. When his...father died, he rarely came back to this place. But it was odd. For some reason he thought that he shouldn't be here. Like he was supposed to be in another part of the world.

He felt a set of claws on his shoulder. Another odd occurence. Wasn't he alone? He opened his eyes to see the smile of a familiar turtle.

"Monkey. It is so good to see you again.", said the turtle in a calm and comforting voice.

Monkey immediately let tears stream down his face as he hugged the turtle."Father."

Oogway looked a little shocked. A rare thing to see in the sage's face. But he quickly recovered and put his arms around the primate's back. Oogway had imagined many a time this day while living in the Spirit World. He thought of Monkey as a son, but never imagined that he had seen him as a father. Though it made sense. Since his death and after Tai Lung had been defeated by Po, Oogway tried on many occasions to visit Monkey. But whenever he attempted to connect with his mind from the Spirit World to his location, Monkey's mind would be swarmed with sorrow and burned with alcohol. It made it impossible for him to come. Sure, the turtle tried. But on the few occasions he did try, Monkey, in his drunken haze, would only receive nightmares from his vision of the turtle. But thankfully for the past two days Monkey had kept his mind clear for the most part. And Oogway saw his window of oppurtunity, and took it.

Monkey released his grip on the turtle and bowed to him in respect."I am sorry, Master Oogway. I did not mean to disrespect you.", he said, his voice heavy with emotion.

"Do not apologize, son. You have not disrespected me but given me a great gift. My heart has been filled with joy to be called your father. Now Monkey, I wish that we had more time to discuss and catch up. But you will awake soon in the middle of the night, and with my visit I doubt you will sleep again."

Monkey nodded and wiped his tears with his wrist.

"Monkey, have you read my letter?"

"No master, I...I have been too afraid...", he bowed his head in shame.

"Son, do not fear my words. For they contain the aid that you and your friends need for this part of your journey. I am very glad that you stopped drinking so that I may speak with you, otherwise I would have had to have spoken with Po. And though he is a good man, I truly wished for this meeting between us."

"Wh-what does the letter say, f-father?", Monkey asked.

"You will have to see for yourself.", the turtle put his claws on Monkey's shoulder again."But please. Stop your drinking, my son. It destroys you. And it does not allow me visits with you. And I do not wish for you to die just so we may see each other. You have a long and wonderful life ahead if you choose to lead it."

Monkey nodded again,"Yes, father. I will try.", he blinked."Master, I feel that I do not have much time.", he said as the sounds of rushing waters grew louder.

"I understand, my son. Just remember that I am always here for you. And that I love you.", said Oogway, his smile wide across his wrinkled face.

Monkey hugged Oogway tighter this time and sniffled."I love you too, Dieh!"

Monkey opened his eyes and rushed to the bathroom, shutting the door quietly as not to wake Crane. But the sound of Monkey moaning with a loud sprinkling sound made Crane stirr in his bed anyway.

"Ugh. Told you to lay off on the wine, Monkey!", he yelled before pulling his pillow over his head.

Monkey came out a few seconds later as a sigh of relief left his mouth."Sorry, man. But it wasn't wine, it was lime juice.", he said as he walked over to his bag and pulled out the scroll that Oogway left him.

Crane, who was watching him from imbetween the folds of his pillows, had sat up when he noticed Oogway's seal on the scroll."Master Oogway's letter...you're going to open it?", he sat up on his bed, watching Monkey as the primate sat on his own bed and sighed, brushing his thumb on the seal.

"Yeah...but, is there anyway I could, you know, open it without breaking the seal?", Monkey asked, hugging the scroll against his body slightly.

"I could get a candle-"

"Without melting it!", interrupted Monkey as he glared at Crane.

Crane got up and laughed as he talked,"I know, I know, I was only kidding.", he reached for the scroll and gingerly took it out of Monkey's paws. He examined it to see if there were any lifted spots on the seal. When he found none, he sighed."Oogway did it himself, alright. Looks like we'll have to do this the old fashioned way.", he gently slid the end of his beak against the paper until he made contact with the hardened wax.

He continued to do this in rotation as he softly pecked at the wax, making it evenly give way until it simply popped off. Monkey caught it in his paw and grinned."Thanks, man."

"Anytime.", he handed the scroll back to Monkey and stood there as curiosity would not allow him to leave his friend be.

Monkey set the seal down gently onto his mattress and took a deep breath before letting it slowly flow out of his nose. He opened the scroll at a snail's pace. The first thing he saw was a symbol he had never seen before. It was a line that almost formed a perfect circle, but stopped halfway imbetween the point where the circle would begin and the spot which could only be called the three quarter section. In the middle of the almost-circle was the shape of a heart. It was cracked. Just outside the opening of the almost-circle was a line that led from the outside of the circle up to the top of the heart. On the outside end of the line was a small section that seemed just the right size to complete the circle. The heart and line almost looked like a kite at a glance, but upon further examination one could see that the line was trying to enter the heart and heal it, but there was a large black dot imbetween the line and the inward corner of the heart.

As Monkey continued to open the scroll after examining the symbol, he saw the letter in Oogway's handwriting.

_Dear Monkey,_

_As you know, I have just passed on. But do not grieve for me, my son. I am alive and well in your heart._

_But though you must not grieve, you must also be on your guard. As my death may bring you and your friends many dangers. I am sorry for burdening you all for my own mistakes of the past. But what is done is done. Now it is time to tell you what must be told to prevent future mistakes._

_When I was young and attained the knowledge of harmony and focus at the Pool of Sacred Tears, I was alone. But soon as I spread my knowlege with others, the Pool became very popular. People thought that it was the Pool itself that gave me such powers as Kung Fu. Although the Pool allowed me to find my way to the grand path, it was not the Pool that gave me the power. It merely gave me the drive to earn my dreams to become a reality._

_Many who failed to realize this truth failed in their attempts to ask the Pool for power like mine. But four people were wise enough to understand. When the masses abandoned the Pool when nothing was gained but peace of mind, the four stayed._

_The first to learn the truth was a female, blue scaled Dragon. One of the few left in the world at that time. Her name was Seikaku. A beautiful but hot tempured woman. Yet she valued her friends with her life. Her power that she chose to learn was that of how to listen, truly listen to the world. She gained the skill to predict when the weather would change, when the flowers would grow. And she was able to sense every life when it was born. She later became the Dragon whose spirit merged with the universe and brought more harmony and peace to the Valley of Peace than any of us ever could The land became sacred with her sacrifice._

_The second one's name was Tsuka. She was a brown feathered Hawk. She was friendly to most, but feirce in battle. She drove for a skill much like mine and attained it remakably fast. Her skill was to make use of everything and turn it into weaponry, no matter what it was. She had the ability to see the strengths and weaknesses out of anything and was able to exploit it in the blink of an eye. She was the one who trained Master Flying Rhino in this art, who taught it to his son who soon became Master Thundering Rhino._

_The third to find peace and harmony was a tan furred male Tiger named Yogan. He was always happy and jubilant in whatever he did. He made many mistakes on his road to finding his dreams, but was persistent. He finally found his calling to be in metallurgy and became the inventor of many of the weapons still used today. Including the Nine Ring Broad Sword and the Rope Javelin._

_But the fourth...she was a red lion. Her name was Moeru. I had never seen a more beautiful creature. She trained with all her heart to learn the secrets of the world, much like Seikaku._

_Monkey, these people along with me, were the first Furious Five. We were a great team, and we eventually became a great family. Two of us had even fallen in love, Seikaku and Yogan. They had no children, but their love will forever be a symbol of how two worlds can become one even in the most unlikely of times. But that is another story._

_For years we stood at each other's sides and defended China to make good use of our knowledge. But it was never enough for one of us._

_Moeru would always join us in our missions to protect the villages that eventually made up the Valley of Peace. But she would be distant with us at all other times. She would spend her times off always building and adding rooms to the Jade Palace. She made them in the deepest of caves and when she eventually stopped, she had created a laberynth within the walls. Later on it was revealed that she did these things to keep us from finding her whilst she continued her training, particularly Seikaku, who early on began to sense the evil in her heart. But her heart, though it was in the right place, had grown to thirst for too much knowledge. Knowledge that no mortal should have. The Pool gave her the drive to do so, and she began her descent into madness._

_One day I was returning from a trip to the encampment at the bottom of the Thousand Steps to discuss plans for the town that the people that had immigrated to us wished to build. They were simple folk who wanted nothing more than to live in peace. And what better way to do so than to live so close to the five most powerful beings in China? Anyways, I had entered the Jade Palace with Seikaku when we saw Tsuka flying out of the barracks. She had been crying, but her face showed much anger about her. When she landed infront of us, Seikaku asked her what was wrong. Tsuka would not and could not speak. But by the look in her eyes I knew._

_She had seen something unimaginably horrifying. So much so that even the brave Tsuka would flee from the sight. I walked into the barracks and found Yogan limping down the hall holding his side. He said nothing to me, he just looked down as if in shame. I examined him and found that he was bleeding from the side, and his wrists were bleeding as well. But the markings looked like he was cut by a rope that had been rubbed against his skin til the skin broke. I asked him who did this, and he simply pointed. I followed his finger to it's destination._

_It was Moeru's room._

_I patted his back and told him to go outside. When he left, I walked to her door and knocked. No one answered so I opened the door. What I saw...it truly was a horror._

_Moeru was naked and had her eyes closed while in the lotus position. She had made a circle in the floor around her and had cuts all over her body, particularly around her genitals. She had candles burning all throughout her room. I looked at the other side of her room. Her bed was massacred, but I could see blood covering the sheets and torn ropes lying on the top. The other ends of them were tied to the legs of the bed._

_She opened her eyes and told me that she was now the leader of the Furious Five, and that I could either let her command or die. I did not answer her, but asked her what she had done. She told me that she was taking her powers to another level. She said she wished to learn all of the secrets of the world and that the only way to do this was to conquer it first. I then asked specifically what she had done to Yogan. She did not answer me, but merely smiled evilly. It was very frightening to say the least. Little did I know that outside, my question had just been asked by Seikaku. And Yogan answered._

_All I could hear next was a massive roar, all I could see was an enraged Seikaku bursting through the walls of the barracks breathing fire. She saw me in the hall way and flew through the walls of the rooms. When she crashed into Moeru's room however, Moeru simply rose up and dodged her attack. But Seikaku twisted around her and attacked again. The battle went on for the rest of the day. Eventually we all battled her at once when Yogan and Tsuka recovered and she ended up bloodied and beaten. Tsuka was about to stick her with the blade of a spear when she escaped. We never saw her again._

_Monkey, I tell you all this now because I have heard rumors that she has returned. As I meditated on these rumors, I saw a vision. And it is true. She is building an army, Monkey, and I fear that we may not be able to stop her this time. For my life force has all but run out. Seikaku sadly has passed on. Yogan became forever silent after his lover's death and refused to eat. For fifty years he simply meditated, for it was the only way that he could connect with his love in the Spirit World. Eventually I found his body laying in the Dragon Grotto after I returned from my travels around China. He looked to have passed in happiness. Tsuka is still alive to the best of my knowledge, yet I know not where she is. She was last seen on the other side of the Yangtze River, but this was almost a year ago._

_Goodbye, my son. I hope you will be safe._

Monkey was breathing harder and harder as he read the letter. Tears began to stream down his face."No...no, I...I can't believe it. This is all my fault!", he threw the letter to the floor.

Crane, who had been reading the letter along with him, was just staring at the floor in the direction where Monkey was holding the scroll infront of them both. He wasn't contemplating an idea, he wasn't processing emotion, he was just thinking. Of what he wasn't entirely sure but he knew that it had something to do with wanting to break a bottle over Monkey's head.

Monkey was pacing back and forth in a panic. He was panting and mumbling to himself."What am I going to do? Everyone is going to hate me! I did this! Why couldn't I have grown the balls to read this sooner? I can't handle this! I need some air!"

And with that, Monkey ran out of the room. It took Crane a couple of seconds to realize that Monkey had left, mostly because he felt the cold air hit his legs from the open door. Crane shivered, picked up the scroll, rolled it up, and shut the door. But not before watching Monkey run down the street.

The primate ran and ran, not knowing where exactly he was headed. But his feet would take him there even if his head couldn't decide which way to turn. Eventually he slipped and fell. When he sat up he looked at the building he fell infront of. It was a bar. Monkey stood up, looking apprehensive.

After a minute or so to think, he sighed depressedly."There are no accidents...",he then walked into the bar.

However, as he reached for the door handle, two large skinny claws kicked him aside and away from the door. Monkey hit the ground with a grunt, but flipped onto his feet and got into his defensive stance to face his attacker. But he sighed in relief.

"Oh, Crane it's just you. What the hell? Why'd you attack me?"

"Because you don't need to be in there right now. In your mental state you'd probably drink until you drown.", stated Crane.

"It's my business, I'll handle it on my own.", Monkey started to walk past Crane, but Crane quickly swatted him away from the door again.

"No. You've got to stop doing this, man. You did it to deny what _could _be in the letter and now that you've read it you're drinking _because _of what's in the letter! No more!"

Monkey gestured his paws to his left as if he was telling Crane to observe something,"Did you even read that thing? It's my fault the Demon has gotten so strong! I think that calls for a bit of poison!", he said defensively.

"I don't care! You can't keep this up.", Crane shook his head for emphasis at this last sentence.

Monkey didn't respond. He didn't move. He didn't look away from Crane.

Crane didn't move either. He glared at Monkey.

They stood for almost five minutes waiting each other out. Eventually Monkey sighed and bowed his head."I'm just sick of this, Crane. Sick of being such a screw up."

Crane softened his glare and patted Monkey on the back,"Hey. You're not a screw up. You were dealing with some issues. No one could have possibly known what Master Oogway wrote. Come on. It's almost morning. Let's get some breakfast.", Monkey nodded and walked with Crane to the hotel to grab some of their money and head to a restaurant.

As the sun rose slowly over the wooden walls around the mountain village, a small beam of light slipped through an old rotting bell hanging above a well in the middle of a street. That beam of light hit a mirror through the window of a beauty shop. That light reflected onto a small patch of ice on the ground outside the hospital. And finally, the light found it's way to Po's eyes as the light reflected off of the metal pipe holding up the hospital sign.

Po groaned and stirred as he lifted his left arm to block the light. But he couldn't. He was stopped by a hard body with soft fur. He looked down at his chest. Tigress had her arms wrapped around his left arm as she laid on top of him under the covers with a smile on her face as she slept. He chuckled inside and spoke softly,"Heh, deja vu.", but then he blinked, and he felt around, followed by a blush. She wasn't wearing any panties. And his paw was _really_ wet. He felt around a bit to confirm, making her stir and groan softly. Yep, none whatsoever.

Po smiled and kissed her forehead as he decided to give his love her 'good morning pick me up', as she called it. He started to rub and swirl his fingers around gently. Tigress purred loudly in her sleep, rubbing her cheek into his chest. Then she began to moan quietly as he rubbed harder against her opening. He noticed her cheeks beginning to turn red, which was usually hard to see with her fur. He raised a brow and rubbed faster, this time teasing her softly as he would occassionally brush his dull claws against her flesh. Her instincts gave in as she rode his paw in her sleep, moaning more as her claws were now unsheathed.

The panda then started to get a little 'cocky' as she rubbed against him. He slipped in a finger and moved it rapidly. Tigress dug her claws into his stomach and let out a half growl half purr as she began to pant. Po winced slightly as he felt her claws, but only went faster.

Tigress then opened her eyes wide as she awoke, looking up at Po as she was on her verge and growled at him lustfully,"You-you're evil!", she whispered through her panting. He realized that if she came she was going to make some noise. She was a definite screamer, he knew from history. So he put his other paw infront of her face and whispered.

"Bite down. Don't want you attracting any attention from outside the room, right baby?", he smirked. She hesitated, but he was right. She bit down on his paw. Hard. He bit his tongue in pain as her fangs dug deep, but he didn't want to ruin her moment so he showed now signs of pain. Her moans were muffled in his flesh as she came onto his paw, squeezing his paw with her thighs like a vise as her juices sprung out. After she finished, she panted into his other paw before letting go. His blood began to seep out and she frowned at the sight.

He noticed her frown and smiled,"Don't worry, hun, I'll be alright.", he put his paw up over his head as the bleeding slowly stopped. She smiled softly and nodded, but grimaced as she licked her fangs.

"Ugh. Now I've got the taste of your blood in my mouth. I need something to get rid of this taste.", she smirked up at him as she released his paw from her thighs. He brought his paw up.

"Hmmm. Dunno what you could use. I know I'm set.", he smirked back as he licked and cleaned his paw. Tigress purred at him and licked his stomach.

"I think I have an idea.", she whispered suggestively before disappearing from under the covers. Po started to chuckle, but suddenly gasped as he felt her tongue. Po simply closed his eyes and relaxed, leaning his head back against the wall as he enjoyed the attention from his mate.

After a few minutes the large mass under the covers began to move up and down. Po moaned softly as he whispered her name. He laid his non bleeding paw over the spot where her head was and rubbed softly, which of course made her purr. Which of course made Po's pleasure heighten. He began to pant as he felt his pressure building up. And at the very second he released into her mouth with a stifled scream in pleasure...

"Good morning, Dragon Wa-OH MY GOD!", Dr. Kimeru turned on her heels and shut the door behind her as she went back outside into the hall, her cheeks burning red as she held a paw over her mouth, staring wide eyed at the floor.

Just then, Viper and Mantis slithered and walked up. Mantis looked wide awake, but Viper was about close to falling back to sleep as she yawned.

"Good morning, Dr. Kimeru.", she yawned again.

"Good morning Masters Viper and Mantis", she bowed, trying to stop blushing."What brings you to the hospital so early in the morning?"

"Well, we _were _sleeping until _this _one got too hungry to stay in bed!", replied Viper in an annoyed tone.

"Sure, blame my stomach. We would normally be getting up in another hour anyways.", said Mantis in his defense.

"I need my beauty sleep!", she hissed back.

"Hey, I say you get plenty! I mean, look at you!", he said in an attempt to get her off his back. And in her grogginess it worked.

Viper blushed at his words, but didn't smile. She was too tired to smile,"You're such a charmer.", she mumbled as she began to go to the door, but was stopped.

"I-I think...we should wait just a few minutes until you go inside.", she said, her cheeks still blazing.

Viper looked at her through half lidded eyes and closed them again with a sigh and a soft laugh,"Seriously? This early in the morning?", she yawned the last word.

Mantis laughed as well."Judging by your face, I'm guessing you walked in on them. Oh this is just fantastic.", he laughed more.

Dr. Kimeru growled at him and Mantis stopped immediately. She was even scarier than Koru.

Suddenly, Po opened the door. He laughed nervously."Uh, g-good morning Dr. Kimeru. Uhh...sorry about that..."

She shook her head,"Mm mm. I should have knocked."

He shrugged,"Uh yeah, okay.", he cleared his throat and looked at Mantis and Viper,"Good morning, you two.", he then turned around and walked back in. They followed nervously. Tigress was sitting in one of the chairs by the bed trying to keep her head down to hide her blushing face.

"So erm, what time are we leaving?", Dr. Kimeru asked.

"Depends on when we can get everyone together and start a plan for the next part of our journey.", Po replied.

"Wait, leaving? I thought you were on bedrest, Po.", Mantis said as he, Po and Dr. Kimeru stood in the middle of the room with their backs to the bed. As he spoke, Viper slithered over to the seat next to Tigress and tiredly gave her a good morning, 'hi', before blushing scarlet and snapping her head away without warning.

"Well since he'll have a doctor with him at all times, I find it only fair. After all, Koru seriously needs to see more of the world, and the sooner the better.", Dr. Kimeru said as Tigress eyed Viper confusedly. Viper wouldn't look at her, but pointed at her own mouth. Tigress realized what she was saying and blushed just as much as she did as she covered her mouth with a paw and licked up the residue that was sitting in the corner of her mouth. She resited a purr as the taste rested on her tongue, instead clearing her throat to let Viper know that it was gone.

Viper glanced at Tigress and nodded. Tigress stood up,"I'm going to go freshen up. Viper, can i use the shower at your hotel room?"

"Sure, we're in room nineteen.", Viper replied, still not looking at her. Tigress nodded in thanks and walked out of the room.

"I'd imagine that I don't smell too fresh either.", Po mumbled. Mantis laughed.

"You could always use Koru's shower.", he said.

"What's wrong with Crane and Monkey's?", Po asked.

"Eh, they left a note on their door saying they left their room to go get an early breakfast and they locked the door."

Po facepalmed and groaned as he slid his paw down his face.

"I'm sure Koru wouldn't mind.", said Dr. Kimeru with a smile.

Po shrugged."Ookay. Mind taking our bags back to the hotel for us? Thanks.", he followed Dr. Kimeru out of the room, leaving a frustrated Mantis and Viper.

"Surprised he didn't try to get in the shower with Tigress.", said Mantis after the two left after Po and the doctor, carrying Po and Tigress' bags.

"Mantis, those showers are too small for two people. Besides, with those two they'd end up on the bed. The bed _we _shared last night. Do you _really _want that on your concience?", Viper asked with a raised brow as they arrived at the hotel. Viper then slipped into their room with the bags and came right back out.

Mantis shrugs,"I guess not.", he said after Viper returned.

"That's what I thought.", she flicked her tongue out as she won the disagreement."Now let's go get something to eat, I'm starving."

Meanwhile with Po and Yunwei.

Po was standing to the right of Yunwei so that he would be down wind of her, at her request. Po apologized embarrasedly as he aquisitioned her request. They made their way to the other side of the town and Po was surprised at what he saw. Not in a good way, either. The place was big, but it was a dump. The house was old as the wood it was made of had rotted away from the constant barrage from the snow year round. Some of the wood on the roof had fallen to the ground, and was scattered around the front yard as the light wood had been tossed by the shredding wind.

Yunwei creaked open the front door slowly. It was very dark since it was so bright out. There were no windows. There were no walls to seperate rooms except for the restroom and the kitchen. There was no furniture. The large room was filled with busted wooden dummies, cracked stone blocks, and the floor was riddled with dried bloodied rags. Small unlit candles were scattered throughout the home. Po could see a flight of stairs on the far side of the room that led to the second floor.

The two walked in as Po whispered,"How can anyone live like this?"

"He has saved us many a time. He is excellent when it comes to Kung Fu. But a homemaker he is not. He does not know anything else but Kung Fu. Sadly though, he is still poor for our town cannot afford to give him much for his services.", Yunwei replied quietly as they walked through the room.

"Guess he needs a good homemaker then, eh?", teased Po as he elbowed her gently.

Yunwei blushed and giggled,"I guess so."

Po followed Yunwei upstairs carefully as the wood creaked and groaned as he stepped. When he saw the second floor he supressed a giggle. Koru was asleep in his cot on the floor with his tongue hanging out, his tail flicking back and forth in the air as he slept on his stomach.

Yunwei kneeled down, smiling as she started trying to gently nudge him awake. As she worked on that, Po looked around the second floor. The room walls were a little nicer but not by much. They were filled with many different types of weapons. There was a window in the front of the building bringing light to reflect onto all the metal in the room making it quite bright.

As Koru awoke he let out an almost roaring yawn, but shot up as he realized Yunwei and Po were there.

"Uh, h-hello Yunwei. Master Po.", he bowed to Po.

"Relax man, I just wanted to know if I could use your shower."

"Oh, uh-of course.", he replied.

"Thanks Koru.", Po turned to walk to the stairs, but as he turned he fell straight through the wood as it broke away. He hit the floor below with a groan.

Koru winced as he muttered,"Been there."

"Po, are you alright?", called out Yunwei.

"Yeah I'm good.", he called back in the darkness.

Koru stretched for a few minutes, then sighed before starting down his steps.

"Where are you going?", asked Yunwei, causing Koru to stop and look back at her on the stairs.

"Well, I was uh...thinking maybe a jog?", he replied.

Yunwei shifted in her standing position nervously as she swept the floor with her foot softly, looking down."Oh, okay."

"Did you uhm, maybe want to come with me?", he asked.

She blushed and shrugged slightly as she stared at the floor,"I don't know, I don't think I could keep up."

"I'd go slow for you.", he said. Then blushed hard and cleared his throat when she perked up her ears and looked at him,"I-I didn't mean it like that!"

The wolf blushed more and giggled,"I know what you meant. And okay. But we've gotta be back in an hour.", she said as she started down the stairs after him.

"Why?"

"Because we're leaving soon."

He stopped at the foot of the stairs and she accidently bumped into him from behind. As she made contact, she began to fall back with a yelp before wrapping her arms around his waist to stay standing up.

"K-Koru?", she said looking up at him.

"Sorry, I just didn't expect that. I knew it'd be soon, just didn't know it'd be now."

"Are you scared?", she hugged his waist.

He supressed a growl, but spoke through his teeth,"No I'm not scared..."

"Okay...", she laid her ears back and stood there as she let go of his waist, letting him walk away. He stopped when he was out of arm's length of her and sighed.

"A little. You wanna get some breakfast?", he said in a defeated tone.

She smiled and ran to his side before taking his arm in hers and running to the door, dragging him behind her as they went outside.

A few minutes later Po came out of the bathroom and sighed in relief as he felt clean and refreshed. He went upstairs and blinked when no one was there."Hello?"

An hour later, he arrived outside of the hotel room where Mantis and Viper were staying at. Everyone was there, well almost everyone. Dr. Kimeru and Koru were still at the restaurant.

As Po arrived, the others watched him impatiently.

"Hey guys, what's going on? We ready to go?", he walked up beside Tigress, who had her back to him as she was finishing reading Monkey's scroll for the third time, then she handed it to him.

"What's this?", he smiled and put his arm around her as he started to read. While everyone waited for him to finish, everyone had a different idea going through their minds, most were thinking of ways to kill Monkey. Crane, who had already gone through the phase, was betting against himself in his head on how Po would react when he was finished. Monkey was wondering on how far he could run until everyone caught him and beat him to a pulp.

As Po finished he sighed heavily and looked at Monkey. Everyone stayed as quiet as possible as they awaited his judgement. He gave the scroll back to Tigress. He walked right up to Monkey. For some reason, Monkey was terrified. Po looked really intimidating right now. Po looked him dead in the eye and spoke softly,"Monkey..."

Monkey winced,"Yeah?"

Po wrapped his big arms around him and hugged him tight."I'm sorry."

Everyone, especially Monkey, was shocked to say the least.

"Po, why are _you_ apologizing to _him_?", asked Song after a minute of silence.

Po looked at everyone with confusion on his face as he set Monkey down. Monkey didn't notice right away, but tears were now matting his cheeks.

"Come on, you think this has been easy on him? He must've felt _horrible _when he first read this! You _did _just read this, right?", he mumbled to Monkey, who nodded.

"Po this isn't like the time he used olive oil to cover the bottle of lemon juice you were using to make fruit sake. He allowed the Demon to grow in power.", said Tigress.

"Okay sure-yeah, he messed up, he-wait that was you?", he shook his head,"Anyways, sure he messed up big time, but that doesn't mean we have to blame him for it. He was grieving and fearful. I'm sure Oogway forgave him, so why can't we?", he said looking at the group standing infront of him, with Monkey at his side.

Tigress sighed at her lover's insightful additude."You're right, Po. He may have been a complete idiot, but...he's still family. And I guess that's what families do. I forgive you, Monkey.", she put a paw on Monkey's shoulder before turning to Po's other side.

Shiro walked over to them, shrugging,"He was a buffoon of a baboon, but I don't see any reason for _me _to blame him at least. According to you all, I was a monster before.", he stood behind Po and pats Monkey on the back.

Everyone else either sighed, rolled their eyes, smiled at Monkey, or some combination of the three as they walked over to join him.

"Maybe it's best if Koru and the doc don't know about this yet. They don't know what a good person you are, Monkey, they don't understand why you greived and how scared you were at opening this thing.", said Po.

"Know about what? What thing?", said Dr. Kimeru as she and Koru walked towards them. Monkey quickly swiped the scroll from Tigress and rolled it up. Koru noticed this and swiftly took the scroll in a matter of seconds before returning to his position behind Yunwei.

Koru read the scroll and began to breathe harder and harder as he got closer and closer to the end, Yunwei was reading it with him while resting back against his chest. As they arrived at the final sentence at the same time, Yunwei put her paw on Koru's chest,"Now Koru, stay calm. Give them a chance to explain themselves. Guys?"

Mantis poked Monkey in the ass, causing him to jump in surprise as he made a few steps towards the two nervously. He explained everything to them about his relationship with Master Oogway, and even his dream excluding the peeing part. When he was finished, Yunwei sighed,"Well, just as long as we can end this and get everyone back, I suppose we can forgive you. Right Koru?"

Koru stared at Monkey and nodded curtly.

Song sighed,"Okay enough of this little love fest. If we're gonna leave for Kirokuyoru City, we might as well get going now."

Koru and Yunwei looked at each other, then looked at Song.

"Wait, _that's _where we're going? Song, you _do _know that Kirokuyoru City has been closed off, right?", said Yunwei.

"Huh? That's impossible!", Song shouted.

"She's right. No one goes in. No one comes out.", said Koru.


	22. Chapter 22: Title Not Found

Chapter 22: Title Not Found

Everyone in the group was silent. Song could feel their eyes burning into her. She started to panic a little, but did her best to keep her cool.

"Wha...how does...how did this happen? When?", she asked.

"King Hogonepai ordered that all the roads that surround the city should be sealed, this was over a week ago. Word is he's even sealing the gates of the walls with stone.", Yunwei said.

"We'll have to go over the walls then.", said Tigress. Song had slid down to her knees. She would have collapsed to the ground if Po hadn't caught her, but now she was leaning against his legs and Shiro wasn't looking too happy.

"Archers patrol the walls all around.", mumbled Song, who was just staring at the ground.

"Hmmm. Could we bust through a weak spot in the wall?", asked Tigress.

Song allowed herself a halfhearted scoff and shook her head, not looking away from the ground as she spoke weakly,"Walls are twenty feet thick."

"How do they get food into the city?", asked Mantis who was always thinking of food. Sometimes it helps.

"They don't. The city has it's own farms. It's a big city...", said Song.

And sometimes it doesn't.

Suddenly Po perked his head up and walked around Song, accidently letting her fall to the ground, though he didn't notice since he was looking back and forth imbetween Tigress and Yunwei. Shiro glared at Po as he helped Song up. He wasn't sure what he was more pissed at this panda for, but he knew he was pissed.

"Well Oogway said he'd talk to the King. If I can go ask him to talk to him to let us into the city, the king would _have _to let us in!"

Tigress smiled,"That's a good idea, babe."

Yunwei and Koru just gave Po and Tigress a look of half concern, half weirded out.

"Uhhh, but isn't Master Oogway dead?", asked Koru.

"Yes, but Po has the ability to go to the Spirit World.", Tigress replied before kissing Po on the jaw to reward him for his good idea. Po chuckled and blushed softly.

"Hm. Guess that'll work, then...", Koru blinked.

The group went inside Viper and Mantis' room so that they could get their bags and so Po could go to the Spirit World without any interupptions from the village.

They all stood in the room as Po got into his Inner Peace stance and sighed softly. Tigress kissed him softly,"Good luck love."

"Thanks Mai Tai.", he smiled at her and got into the lotus position. He allowed himself to stop breathing and he slumped over as his eyelids glowed a feint green.

Before they could even wonder why his eyes were glowing however, small tiny gashes appeared on his arms, chest and legs, followed by a large bite mark on his shoulder. He started to bleed slightly as his body convulsed some.

Tigress laid her ears back worriedly.

"What's happening to him?", Viper yelled.

"Demons. He must not be feeling too optimistic.", Tigress sighed."Po, please just think happy thoughts."

Suddenly, Po gasped loudly and breathed hard as his eyes stopped glowing when he opened them wide.

"Po, are you okay?", Tigress knelt down beide him.

He nodded."Yeah...yeah, I think so. Just got into a little scuffle.", he chuckled softly.

"How long were you there?", she asked while rubbing his back.

"Four days.", he grinned softly.

"Okay. Are you hungry? Dr. Kimeru, do you think he could have some dumplings?"

"I suppose, but chew thoroughly.", she replied.

"Well, Master Oogway is visiting the king now. Good thing I came now, too, he was just about to leave for the Hall of Species thing.", he stood up and stretched, the cuts on his body seeming not to bother him.

"Wait, what Hall of Species thing?", asked Song.

"Explain later. Right now I'm hungry, and we need to be on the road right now so as soon as we finish eating, we're off. Everybody have their bags?"

Both Koru and Yunwei perked their ears up."Oh, we forgot to grab ours.", said Yunwei.

"And I havent even packed yet.", added Koru.

"We'll meet you at the restaurant. Now hurry.", Po said. They ran out of the room.

Po and the rest got their bags and headed to the restaurant. Those that needed to eat ate, and those who had already eaten just drank tea. Soon Yunwei and Koru arrived and they all got up to leave, but not before Yunwei lectured Po to get a shirt on. It was one thing to walk around the village without a shirt, but there would be no walls to protect from the winds outside the village. Po grumbled and bought a vest. It actually looked quite good on him.

Tigress purred at the panda when he came out of the shop wearing a dark green vest with tan inseams. It was almost similar to Tigress' vest, but was no where near the quality. Still in her opinion he looked hot in the vest.

The group put on their cloaks, Yunwei and Koru had already had some being residents of the mountain and knowing how to prepare, and they left the village.

"You know this actually feels kinda nice, this wearing a shirt thing. I may start making it a habit.", said Po as they walked up the hill on the opposing side of where they had first entered the village.

"I think that's a good idea. Plus you'd get extra sweaty in the hot days.", Tigress said cooing at him.

Song rolled her eyes and sighed. Shiro saw this and scrunched his face up as he looked at the back of the panda's head. Yunwei and Koru were now infront since they knew the terrain more than anyone in the group. Yunwei had brought quite a few things. So much so that Koru was carrying four full bags of her things on his back along with his own bag. It wasn't that heavy in his opinion, but it was very awkward because of the shapes of the bags. In one bag Yunwei had taken all of her grandmother's Tulip and Violet plants and wrapped them in heavy blankets to keep warm. In another bag she had filled with her clothes. And in another bag she had filled with her clothes. And in the fourth she had various types of medical kits for a medley of different situations that may arise. She herself was carrying a bag of her most prized possessions. It was a small bag.

Koru hadn't packed much. All he had were a few outfits, some rations that were in his kitchen which would have gone bad had he left them there anyway, and a few small weapons, not to mention his staff which was strapped to his back.

Surprisingly it didn't take them long to get through the mountains. Koru hadn't been as far as the third mountain they had reached, but Yunwei had been outside the mountains a few times and had even been to Kirokuyoru City once before when she was a girl. After only a few hours they started to see Kirokuyoru City in the distance. Everyone thought, except for Yunwei, just how big this city is if they could see it from this distance.

They began their desent down the final mountain and decided to stop for lunch when they reached the bottom. There was no forest at the bottom like there was on the other side, but there were grassy plains like the ones Po, Song and the Five had walked through before going into the Wallower's Cave.

Since there were no trees around, the group had to make do with the rations that Koru had brought along with their own since Po had no way of cooking his noodles. Yunwei, Shiro and Koru didn't have such a big problem with it, but Song and the Furious Five however, grumbled a little as they missed Po's delicious soup. It had been almost a week since Po had cooked for them and they were getting tired of their rations and restaurant food.

Tigress chuckled as everyone ate, and mostly grumbled.

"We've really been spoiled by your cooking, Po.", she said, leaning against his side as they ate.

Po smirked,"Naw, I wouldn't call it spoiled."

"Then what _would _you call it when someone is denied what seems like heaven in a bowl? And I don't even get to eat it as often a they do!", said Song pouting. Shiro let out a soft growl under his breath.

"Well, I...I wouldn't call it heaven in a bowl...", Po chukled and rubbed the back of his head.

"Single greatest thing I've ever tasted. Aside from you.", Song mumbled that last part under her breath so quietly that even Viper didn't hear her. But Shiro, who was sitting right beside her, heard it easily with his sharp senses. Shiro shot up and growled.

"Alright, panda, that's it! You and me, right now!", he said.

Po blinked and slowly got up as Tigress stood as well.

"Me? What did _I _do?", Po asked.

"I know that you and Song have had something between you two, and I want it to end! Now!", he shouted.

"There's nothing going on, Shiro!", said Song as she stood infront of the leopard and put her paws on his chest to try and calm him down."And if there was, it's over!"

"Get it through your thick head, Shiro! Po is my mate and nothing will ever happen again, got it?", snarled Tigress.

"That's not good enough, I want him to swear it! I want a promise that they aren't together anymore!", Shiro growled.

The others just sat there looking back and forth imbetween the four nervously.

"Look Shiro, I know that I'm not exactly an unbiased party, but I swear to you it was just a one time thing! Just because I took her virginity doesn't mean she's my mate. Tigress is my mate and always will be.", Po said. Song was shaking her head and moving her arms back and forth frantically at Po. She hadn't told Shiro that they had mated.

Shiro's eyes filled with hate towards the panda as he breathed heavily and gently pushed Song out of the way. Po met Shiro's eyes with his own and as he saw the hate, he got infront of Tigress, not looking away from Shiro as he spoke over his shoulder at her.

"Honey, get out of the way. This is gonna be rough. And I don't want you or the you know what getting hurt.", he said.

Tigress growled deeply while glaring at Shiro, but nodded."Be careful. If he tries anything lethal, don't hold back. Good luck.", she walked out of the way where the others were now standing and watching.

Shiro slowly unsheathed his claws. Po sighed and got into his Inner Peace stance. It had already become lethal.

Po opened his eyes.

Shiro charged at him with a roar bellowing from inside him. Shiro jumped at Po and slashed at him with his claws, which Po dodged and blocked with ease.

Song started to run over to Shiro to stop him, but Tigress grabbed her left arm and gave her a look that said not to interfere. Song looked back at her, then turned her head back to the fight.

"They have to get this out of the way now. Shiro would have found out sooner or later.", said Tigress as she watched Po dodge a slash from Shiro and jump into the air to do a backwards crescent kick to Shiro's face.

"I know, I know, but I don't want them to get hurt. Po especially.", Song replied. Shiro must have heard this because he let out a roar at Po that almost shook the ground, he increased the speed of his attacks. Po was still blocking and dodging most of them, but now Shiro would occasionally make contact and cut the panda's arm or chest.

Tigress, not looking away from the fight, inclined her head towards Song and said,"You may want to refrain from saying things like that right now." Song nodded in agreement as her look of concern now grew to a look of worry."How did you two meet, anyway?", she asked as Po had slid imbetween Shiro's legs, grabbed his tail and was now using it as a guard to keep Shiro unbalanced and off guard like he did when he was still Tai Lung.

"Well, I was walking through the woods trying to clear my head. My heat had really hit me hard that morning and I was trying to keep all these perverted thoughts out of my head. I'd even...aherm, helped myself in the hotel room since Viper had left but it was still driving me mad. I decided that maybe a dip in the cold river would calm me down. So I jumped in. Didn't realize just how powerful the current was until it was too late. I hit my head on a large rock sticking out of the water and everything went black. I woke up to see Shiro dripping wet and panting over me. He had saved me. When I finally figured this out, I wasn't even thinking. I just kissed him. And then, well, I showed him just how grateful I was.", she said with a blush before flinching when she heard a tiny 'meow' coming from Shiro when he accidently bit his own tail.

Tigress laughed softly,"Well I'll give you points for bravery.", she smirked as Po rolled backwards away from Shiro, making Shiro give chase. But it was a trap and Tigress could see it. Po stopped his rolling and suddenly double kicked Shiro in the stomach before rolling away again, jumping forward and doing several palm thrusts into Shiro's chest and face.

Shiro collapsed to his knees and panted. Po panted a bit as well as he stood there."There's nothing going on, Shiro. We're past it.", he walked away from Shiro and turned his head to Song when he emphasized a word while passing her, who was walking towards Shiro."Song, tell him what happened. Tell him _everything_."

Po walked up to Tigress, who gave him a hard and deep kiss, which he returned. When she broke the kiss he put his arm around her and laughed,"What was that for?"

"You know you get me hot when I see you fight like that.", she whispered and kissed his jaw before putting her head on his shoulder.

Koru nodded to Po and gave him a ghost of a smile."Impressive, Po."

"Thanks.", he took a large gulp of water and sighed."So how long until we reach Kirokuyoru City, Dr. Kimeru?"

"If we leave soon and don't stop until nightfall, set up camp, then leave at the crack of dawn, we should arrive at the city by mid morning, noon at the latest."

"That's great.", said Po. But he perked his ears up as he thought of something and bit his lip.

Tigress thankfully went over to Viper to talk to her about the hot springs in the city that Song kept bolstering about. Po took this oppurtunity to go into his bag, grab the item he had bought in the village the other day, whispered to Mantis, and walked off. Mantis blinked a bit and gave Monkey and Crane a signal to follow him as he hopped to follow Po. The three followed Po until they were almost half a mile away. When they finally caught up with him, he turned around.

"What's going on, man?", asked Mantis.

"Yeah, why'd you bring us out here?", asked Crane.

Monkey spoke up,"Wanted to tell a dirty joke? Okay, I got one. So there's this rhino that walks into a bar and he's being followed by a seriously flexible girl lizard-", he was interuppted by Po.

"No, no, that's not it. Hold that thought though.", Po added as he wanted to hear the rest of the joke. He looked over the guy's shoulders to see that Tigress and Viper were still talking. He lowered his head to look at them and spoke quietly."Okay I don't want the girls knowing about this, because they'll just blurt it out to Tigress and ruin it. Don't tell Shiro or Koru either, got it?"

The three nodded. Their jaws dropped to the ground when they saw Po pulling something out of his vest. It was a small jewelry box. He opened it to reveal a golden engagement ring with a diamond the size of Mantis' head in the middle. There was a ruby on one side and an emerald on the other side. Po then quietly spoke the obvious to them,"Tonight I'm going to ask Tigress to marry me.", he closed it and put the box away. There was a minute of silence as the three stared at him. But Monkey broke the silence.

"I'm happy for you, brother. You're living the dream.", he whispered and patted Po on the back.

"I can't believe it, this is awesome!", Mantis yelled in a hushed tone.

"You're insane.", said Crane. The other three just looked at him,"But you've done crazier things than this and survived. Let's just hope she doesn't turn you to shreds.", Crane turns around to walk back to the others. The other three guys follow him and Po smacks him on the back, causing him to let out an 'oof!' and stumbled a little bit.

"Gee thanks Crane, not like I'm not nervous enough.", Po said sarcastically.

"Nervous about what, Po?", Tigress asked as she and Viper had started to walk and slither towards the boys when they noticed them talking. Once they met they walked back towards the others with them.

"Uh, well nothing really, it's just uh...", Po panicked for a minute, and Tigress wasn't looking away from him. If anything she was trying to find out just what it is he was thinking. Po was about to open his mouth to lie, but then his ear twitched as he blinked,"Wait, do you hear a flapping?"

Suddenly Zeng fell to the ground with a 'quack', landing imbetween Po and the Five, and the others.

"Zeng?", said Tigress as the six ran over to the goose. The other four ran up to the goose as well.

"Are you okay, sir?", asked Yunwei.

"He's fine, Dr. Kimeru, he does this all the time.", said Po.

Zeng sat up and looked at Po and the Five, he was panting. He looked severely tired.

"I...I have...a message for you from...Ma-Master Shifu!", he handed Tigress the scroll and collapsed.

"Zeng, did you fly all the way here?", asked Viper as she slithered to the bird's side.

"Non...non stop...", he panted.

"I'll go get you some water.", she slithered over to the camp. Tigress had stood up straight and was reading the scroll. She started to growl. She read it out loud when Viper returned and gave Zeng some water.

"_Dear Masters Po, Tigress, Crane, Monkey, Viper, and Mantis,_

_I wish to apologize for my actions and words. I have lost my Inner Peace because of a hold that an evil being called The Demon of the Fountain now has on me. I do not wish to make excuses for myself for my actions were inexcusable. But for old times sake I pray that you will accept my offer. Please return and help me rid of this stone around my neck, it is what is keeping me in her power. If you do so, I will accept you back with open arms. Po may return as well as Tigress. And they may be together for as long as they wish. I will even build a seperate bed chamber for them if they wish it. Please return, my students. I await your judgement._

_Sincerely,  
>Grandmater Shifu"<em>

Tigress tore up the letter and growled more.

"So I'm guessing we aren't going back?", asked Crane.

"Are you insane?", said Monkey.

"No moreso than Po.", Crane mumbled.

Po smacked him in the back of the head.

"We've come all this way and we can _literally _see the city from here. Our new home. And you want to turn back to the Valley of Peace?", asked Monkey

"Besides, it would take forever to go back since the Wallower's Cave was destroyed.", said Viper.

"And we can't all fly like you can, Crane.", said Mantis.

"But what about Shifu? He sounds truly apologetic.", said Po.

"Okay, enough!", snapped Tigress. She sighed when everyone had shut up so she could think. After a minute, she spoke,"We aren't going back. Even if we wanted to we can't. And I don't want to. And if Shifu really needs our help in getting rid of his hold on the Demon I say we stick to the original plan to kill her, that should break the hold. Besides, if he's truly under her spell, then why did he send this mesage? She would have prevented it."

Po spoke up after a minute of silence."Wuji."

Tigress facepalmed slightly and shook her head. He was right.

"She took over his dead body back at the Jade Palace. When she left, her hold on him must have weakened.", he said.

"True, but it probably strengthened after she released Wuji's body.", said Tigress."We can't trust him anymore, not until the Demon is dead."

"Should I bring another message back? Because you know it's not exactly just down the Thousand Steps.", Zeng chuckled the last few words.

"Yes. I want the following in the message.", said Tigress. Zeng got out a blank scroll and began to write for her."No. Not until her hold on you is severed. Move on without us. We have become most annoyed with the drama in our lives. Your letter was the last straw. We have decided to leave China for the next month. We will return to Kirokuyoru City afterwards when our heads are clear. If you wish to find us, then wait for us in the city. That is all."

Zeng rolled up the scroll as Po put his arm out to stop everyone who was about to ask about what Tigress was saying. Zeng bowed to them in respect and flew off. When he was a good ways away Po lowered his arm as Tigress prepared herself for the barrage of questions.

The sounds of questions made no sense at all and she put her paw up to shut them up."It's a bluff.", she said before lowering her paw. They all sighed in relief now that they knew they weren't leaving China.

"And we don't know if Zeng is under her control or not, right?", said Po.

"Using those techniques again, babe?", Tigress smiled at him. He nodded.

The others looked at them in confusion but walked back to their bags to get ready to start traveling again. They made their way to the direction of the city.

As the sun started to set, the now tired group began to set up camp. Tigress started to set up one of the tents that Po had bought in the mountain village for the group, but Mantis and Money stopped her.

"Don't worry about setting this up, we can do it for you.", said Monkey.

Tigress blinked,"Uh thanks? Hey wait, where are you going with that?", she asked when the two started walking away with the tent.

"Oh you know, don't want to hear you and Po tonight if things get physical.", Mantis called back.

Tigress blushed and Viper hissed as she slithered up next to Tigress,"Don't worry, I'll get back at him for you."

"Thanks, Viper. Make sure it's painful.", Tigress replied before sitting down next to the new campfire. They had found an occassional stick or block of wood laying on the ground while they were walking today and they began to collect it in case they had enough for a campfire. Thankfully they did and Po was now cooking his delicious noodles.

After he was finished making supper, he poured it out into bowls and handed each bowl out to everyone, leaving Mantis last at Viper's request. Koru however refused to eat it.

"With all due respect, Po, I don't eat noodles. They are fattening and starchy. Besides I am not hungry. I have had my two meals for the day... Perhaps for breakfast.", he mumbled that last part as he accidently took in the smell of the noodles.

"Aw, come on Koru, try some.", said Yunwei as she leaned againt his side and brought some noodles up to his face with her chopsticks. Koru shook his head slightly like a child who refused to eat his vegatables."I promise you that they are delicious."

"I do not doubt that, I can smell them. But I'm not hu-ahhhh!", Koru stopped talking as Yunwei had ran a claw up his spine, making him shiver. This caused him to open up his mouth long enough for her to shove some noodles into his mouth. He was about to spit them out, but his lips would not let him. He chewed them and swallowed. All he could manage to say was,"Wow..."

Po chuckled as he had just sat down to start eating his own noodles,"Yeah, you wouldn't believe how long it took me to get _this _one to eat my noodles. I think I remember the words 'unecissary baggage' came up at one point.", he nodded to Tigress when he emphasized the word.

Tigress only laughed and shook her head before continuing to eat.

As dinner slowly got closer and closer to coming to an end, Po got more and more nervous. He looked at Mantis and Monkey, who gave him a reassuring smile and a thumbs up. Well, Mantis smiled. Po bit his lip and took in a deep breath before standing up. When he spoke everyone else stopped their conversations.

"Everybody, I have something I have to say.", he walked to the middle of the spot right beside the campfire and looked at everyone."A little over two years ago, I was chosen as the Dragon Warrior. And that day was the single greatest day of my life. But it wasn't because I was chosen as the Dragon Warrior. It was because I had finally met the love of my life."

Tigress blushed and smiled at his thoughtful speech. She didn't know what had gotten into him, but she enjoyed his testement to her nonetheless.

"At first things started off a little rocky,", he said with a chuckle as he put his paws up in defense, followed by light laughter from the rest of the Five,"but eventually we became great friends if not best friends. And I thought I was happy. But I was so very wrong. Tigress, when we shared our first kiss, my first kiss ever...I was the happiest I had ever been.", he walked over to Tigress slowly, looking straight into her eyes,"And I want that feeling of happiness to continue forever."

She was smiling wide when he walked up to her, but the smile faded when he got down on one knee. It was replaced with a look of shock, her cheeks blazing. Everyone except for Mantis, Monkey and Crane shared her expression as Po pulled out the small jewelry box and opened it infront of her. Tigress began to visibly shake all over as she put her right paw over her mouth with tears in her eyes.

"Tigress...will you marry me?", Po said quietly.

Tigress was still shaking as she looked at the ring, then at Po. Everyone looked at her and waited for her answer. Finally after what seemed like an eternety to Po...

"Yes! Yes, of course I will!" she said as she got on her knees and hugged him tight with her tears sparkling over her fur in the light of the campfire.

Po hugged back tightly and sniffled happily.

"I'm so happy.", Tigress whispered in her sobs of joy."First we're having a baby and now this."

"Surprise.", Po whispered and rubbed his head against the warm fur of her forehead that was adorned with the beautiful pattern he had always felt comfort in when he looked at it.

Little did the two know, everybody had stiffened except for Viper and Song, and fell silent again. What Tigress hadn't realized was that while she had whispered her words, her sobs had made her voice slightly louder than she had meant them to be.

"Y...You guys are pregnant?", asked Mantis.

It was Tigress and Po's turn to stiffen as they looked at the others, still holding each other with smiles on their faces. Tigress wiped at her tears, sniffled and nodded.

As everyone else went over to hug the two, except for Koru of course, Shiro was rubbing Song's arm as he held her at his side. She was looking down at her lap and trying not to cry. She felt so happy for them, yet so sad. And that made her feel guilty for allowing Shiro to put up with her. She had told him the truth about her blackmailing the couple and he said he could look passed it if she was willing to do a better job at getting through her feelings for Po. And she promised him that she would, and that it would be much easier to do so when her heat ended. She had about three or four days left.

The group hug broke into a series of congratulatory pats on the back from the guys, even Koru did this much to Po's discomfort as it felt like a cannonball hit his back. Yunwei and Viper began pummeling poor Tigress with a million questions about what she wanted in the wedding.

Eventually the talking died down and everyone went to bed, with Song deciding to stay up to keep watch first. She wouldn't be able to sleep anyway.

Monkey and Mantis made a good call in putting up Tigress and Po's tent farther away from the others. They consumated their love for hours that night. At one point Viper actually requested that Mantis knock her out like he did Po when he had hypothermia. And the entire time Song kept stuffing her ears with more and more cotton that she had gotten from Dr. Kimeru before she went to bed. When it was Monkey's turn to keep watch Song went straight to sleep, because she couldn't stand another second hearing the two.

The next morning everyone was tired. Except for Po, Tigress and Viper. Po made everyone oatmeal since he wasn't allowed to eat too much solid food yet. After they ate they packed up their tents and started walking towards the city. Now that it was morning, they could actually see the city in all it's beauty from where they stood. It was massive. The walls must have been at least three hundred feet tall and ran acrossed the horizon for miles and miles, and buildings could be seen standing up over the walls. There was one gigantic door in the left side of the wall that could be seen as a blue speck among the gigantic gray stone.

As they kept walking, Monkey was staring into the distance. After over half an hour of silence he said,"Wait a minute.", he took out Oogway's letter and looked at the symbol at the top. Eventually, Song looked over his shoulder and looked back and forth between the symbol and the city in the distance until she saw what Monkey was seeing.

"It's a map...", she whispered. Everyone then stopped and started to look over the symbol just as the two did. Tigress spoke up first after Song.

"You mean there's a heart shaped pattern in the center of the city?"

"That's the inner wall of the kingdom. The outward point it comes to is the King's bed chambers. The curves are the barracks for his guards", Song said as she pointed to the shape, then pointed to the crack,"If I remember correctly I think that the crack is a series of flags that the king keeps acrossed his kingdom."

"Why does he have so many flags?", asked Po.

"He honors the Yearly rotation and gives each of the species one flag for every day of the year. When that day has ended, he has holy men burn the flag along with a pouch of salt.", Song replied.

"So what's the line for?"

Song looked it over for a minute. It was obviously a path, but where was the origin? She got out her map and compared it. It started at the Valley of Peace and followed their path althroughout their journey."I don't believe this...Master Oogway predicted our path."

Everyone either stiffened from the creepiness or laughed softly from Oogway's obvious wiseness.

"Okay...and the black dot? Is that the Hall of Species?", asked Tigress.

Song shook her head."That's...that's the...kingdom's...dungeon?"

Po blinked,"Wait, so Oogway wants us to break someone out of prison?"

"Yes, Po.", said a soft voice in the wind. Within the blink of an eye Oogway appeared before them as blossom leaves danced around him in the wind.

"Dieh...", said Monkey as he bowed. Everyone else called him master as they bowed as well.

"You are all going into a great danger. I have spoken with the king. He will allow you passage into the kingdom and has provided you with one of his dozen palaces. The Dragon Palace in your honor, Po. He will even allow you to take some of the information from the Hall of Species at my request. But he will not allow the release of a prisoner in his dungeon and it is imperitive that you get her out."

"Who is it, Master?", asked Po.

"It is Tigress' mother.", Oogway replied solemnly, the Po, the Five and Song gasped. Tigress just went wide-eyed."She is scheduled for execution in two days."


	23. Chapter 23: Bust A Move, Then Another

Chapter 23: Bust A Move, Then Another

"M-Master Oogway, are you sure? My...mother?", asked Tigress, her head now swarming with questions.

"I am certain, Tigress. She has been alive and well all this time since the day she took you to Bao Gu. Although, she has had some troubles with the laws of this land recently.", replied Oogway.

Tigress stood there for a minute with her head bowed as she stared at the grass infront of her. She felt Po's paw on her shoulder after he put his arm around her, which made her smile slightly. It always calmed her mind some whenever he touched her. She sighed and leaned against him slightly, then raised her head to look at Master Oogway.

"I do not know if I should care or not, Master. I have allowed my heart to open up to another already, and I feel happy with that alone. With such events lately I am uncertain if I wish to allow her into my heart as well. And she abandoned me as a child. I don't...", she trailed off as she bowed her head again.

"Tigress...", Po gently squeezed her shoulder so that she would look at him,"She may have not been the best mother in the world, but she gave you life. To which I am forever grateful. She at least deserves for you to do the same for her this once. You don't have to open up your heart to her right now, or ever. But with only two days, wouldn't you rather have the option?"

The tiger looked into the panda's eyes. He had been using those spiritual powers again, she could tell by how much his green irises were glowing even with the sun at his back.

She nodded softly,"Okay. You're right Po. Master, what did she d-", Tigress had turned her head to look at Master Oogway again, but he was gone.

Po smiled and kissed Tigress' head just infront of her left ear before letting his arm fall to his side to hold her paw.

The group started walking towards the city yet again. As they walked, conversations started to arise. One in particular made Tigress rather annoyed.

"So what do you think she's in for? Murder? Rape?", asked Mantis. Viper swung her tail at the bug, but he anticipated this and hopped onto Po's right shoulder. But Po swiftly slammed his left paw onto his shoulder, causing Mantis to groan in pain. Po put in a lot of strength into the hit. He then picked up the limp Mantis, who was still trying to recover, and proceeded to toss him to Viper, who grabbed her male with the end of her tail.

"Thanks.", said Tigress and Viper simultaneously, making some of the group chuckle.

"Hey Po, what did you and Tigress mean when you were talking about you using skills or powers?", asked Yunwei.

"Shifu and Master Oogway taught me some techniques while I was training in the Spirit World with them.", he said.

"How many techniques did you learn?", asked Monkey, who was growing more and more interested when Po said that Oogway himself trained him.

Po was counting in his head for a few seconds,"Uh, about twenty. Took almost a year's time in the Spirit World. But well worth it."

"What did you learn?", asked Monkey again.

"Well I can't tell you all of them. One you wouldn't believe me if I told you and it takes up a lot of Chi to do them, and two some of them are hard to explain. Some are hard in both contexts. But some of them were 'Feral Eye', 'Master's Eye', 'Rope Fist', 'Gravity Bump', and 'Volcanic Touch'."

"Wow, they all sound cool! Can you show us?", asked Mantis, who had finally recovered and jumped back up onto Po's left shoulder, knowing he couldn't smack him with his right paw since it was holding Tigress' left paw.

"Well you've all already seen Master's Eye and Gravity Bump. And Tigress has seen Feral Eye and Volcanic Touch."

"I have? When did I see Volca-", she blushed hard and cleared her throat as she looked forward again."Oh."

The group was silent again until they reached the walls. Po was about to complain on how they hadn't eaten lunch, but Tigress gave him a glare that just told him flat out to keep his mouth shut. He understood. She wanted to see her mother as soon as possible.

Once the walls were reached, they headed for the door, which still took a few minutes even though they had been walking towards it in the first place. Finally they found the door. It was as tall as the walls were. The bottom of the door was blocked by about fifty feet up. Yunwei was right, they were sealing it. There were warthogs at the top working on the wall slowly. Some of them were just laying around in the sunlight. Apparently the king hadn't told them how important sealing the door was.

"Hey!", Po called out while looking up at them.

"Yeah?", called back one of the warthogs."What do you want?"

"We've come to live here! We need a place to stay!"

"Too bad, we're not supposed to let anyone in!"

"Didn't the king tell you? He's expecting us!"

The large pig with tusks scoffed openly,"Yeah, sure buddy! And I suppose you've got the Dragon Warrior with you too!"

"I _am _the Dragon Warrior! Didn't he tell you? Or at least send a message?", Po yelled.

The warthog squealed and snorted as he laughed,"Hey Li, look! It's the _Dragon Warrior_!", he pointed to the panda as another warthog stopped his sunbathing to look down at the group and squealed in laughter as well.

"Yeah right! And I suppose that sexy peice of tail next to you is your mate!", yelled the second.

Tigress growled,"I _am _his mate! And he _is _the Dragon Warrior! And if you dont let down a ladder for us in the next five seconds, I am going to come up there, rip off your tusks and shove them up your asses!", she roared.

The first warthog snorted again and leaned against one of the large blocks he was supposed to be sealing into the wall."Sure lady. You can't fool me! He isn't the Dragon Warrior, he just said that to get some ass! Not _my _fault you've got poor judgement!"

Tigress let out a vicious snarl and jumped up the wall before landing at the top and disappearing behind the wall. The rest could hear multiple punching sounds followed by squeals of pain. Shorty afterwards, Tigress looked over the edge and called out,"There aren't any ladders up here! You'll have to come up here the same way I did!"

Po groaned,"Okay!", he yelled. He let Viper slither up onto his shoulders as Mantis hopped onto his bag and clung. Po breathed deeply. His eyes glowed feintly for a second before he jumped up high. With that one jump he reached the top and landed infront of Tigress. Everyone was shocked until he yelled out,"Gravity Bump!"

Crane flew up with Monkey hanging from his talons. And Shiro let Song cling to his back as he clawed his way up the wall. Koru hesitated to pick up Yunwei. She smiled at him as she saw his apprehension.

"It's okay, Koru, I trust you.", Yunwei said in her usual sweet mannered voice.

When he still hesitated, Crane yelled down,"Hey, I could fly her up here if you want!"

"No, I can do it!", snapped Koru. He blushed from his outburst as Yunwei giggled. Koru scooped her up into his arms as she wrapped her arms around his neck. It felt so foreign to him but so right.

The tiger breathed deeply just as Po did, and launched himself as high as he could. He reached the halfway point and slammed his feet into the walls, creating two large holes in the stone. He cringed in pain before jumping again, this time landing at the top.

Yunwei kissed his cheek,"Thank you, Koru.", Koru blushed and set her down.

"N-No problem. Heh."

"Okay, let's go.", said Tigress as they began to run down the makeshift stone steps on the wall. After reaching the bottom, they slipped through the door. It was cracked open in comparison to it's size, but the crack was still over five feet wide.

Once they entered the city, everyone except for Song audibly gasped, even Yunwei. It had changed much since she was a girl. There was a huge market infront of them that was just like any other, but with one exception. The buildings surrounding the market were huge. Homes, shops, bars, everything was massive. It very well could have been a giant's home.

The group recovered and now Song was infront with Tigress second, Po, Viper and Mantis third, Shiro fourth, and Yunwei behind Shiro as Koru kept his paws over her shoulders to keep her safe. Song led them through the streets and masses in a fast walk. Ocassionally people would point at the group, but a lot of people began to mumble and murmur at the sight of the Dragon Warrior, the Furious Five, and to the best of their knowledge Tai Lung. Even Koru was getting a few whispers of his name. Word of his actions of protecting his village hadn't travelled far but Kirokuyoru City wasn't exactly that far.

Song never turned her head away from the masses infront of them as they walked, but she shot a glance over her shoulder as she spoke,"Which way first, Tigress, Kingdom or Dungeon?"

"Kingdom. I bet there are plenty of theives around here just waiting for their chance at stealing our valuables. And it would be better if we went to the dungeon at night anyway.", said Tigress.

They walked hurriedly through the streets up a small hill that jutted out from the street into the Kingdom. The initial gate seperating the outer city and inner kingdom was closed and guarded. There were six guards on either side of the gate, all of them well armed, well armored rhinos. Po quickly tossed Viper and Mantis behind him onto Shiro, grabbed Song and Tigress' shoulders and pulled them behind him in one fluid motion as he got in front as the guards now pointed their spears at them.

"Halt! State your name and business!", said a guard.

"Po Ping the Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five, we've come here in service to the King and were invited to stay in the Dragon Palace.", Po stated.

"But there are ten of you!", said another guard."None may pass, you are obviously lying!"

"Doesn't anybody gossip anymore?", Po mumbled with a sigh. He closed his eyes, opened them and glared at the twelve with slightly glowing eyes. His voice was now serious and almost cold, but yet calm."You will let us through. All of us. We are invited guests. Two of you will follow us. One will guide us through the rest of the gates. The other will go to the King immediately and tell him of our arrival. The rest of you will get these spears out of my face before I crush your skulls in.", when they only looked at him with shock on their faces, not moving, he roared,"NOW!", and the six guards immediately did as told.

The ten made their way through the gate as Tigress purred at Po and whispered,"God, what a turn on.", she nuzzled his neck, clinging to his arm and continued to purr as the terrified guard guided them through the series of Villas that surrounded the large palace in the center.

As they reached the Dragon Palace, Po smiled and sighed contently. They were finally home. It may not be their permanent home, but it was home nonetheless. The rhino guard bowed to them as he stepped to the side of the door. They stepped in through the door adorned with many small dragon statues and immediately felt joy find their faces when they saw the sight.

The front hall itself was large enough to fit half of the Valley of Peace's citizen's at least, with a sitting area to their right that had enough furniture to seat thirty people in a circle around a beautiful white marble hearth. There was a dark red area rug that covered the sitting area with gold tassles on it's edges. To their left was a winding white marble staircase with green marble railing that led them to the hallways filled with rooms and bathing areas. The floors of the building were wooden, but it was so smooth to the touch of their feet it might as well have been covered in pillows. As they passed the front area and the large archway that bordered it, they saw double doors at the adjacent wall that led out to the back yard. If they turned right, they would find themselves in a long hall of art that seemed to stretch out a mile. It was like a gigantic version of the Hall of Heroes, except there were paintings and statues instead of Kung Fu Relics. If they turned left, which they did, they would find a kitchen with practically everything they needed to cook anything they wished.

Po leaned against the counter and looked at everyone, who were still examining the kitchen. Except Tigress. She was still looking impressed, but she was in deep thought. Obviously wondering what she was going to say to her mother when they met. Po crossed his arms and cleared his throat, causing everyone to look at him. He still had his Master's Eye out, but it was no where near as venomous looking as it was with the guards. Po remembered how Shifu had explained the Master's Eye to him. The Master's Eye is not only an eye of leadership, but one of truth and tactical prowess. It mirrors your feelings to those you look at and allows them to know exactly how you feel about them, depending on how intense your concentration is. And finally it allows you to see into a situation and it brings out a solution , again depending on how hard you concentrate.

"Now I know everybody is feeling awesome about our new home, but we've got a lot of business to discuss and much work to do. Everybody pick a room and put your things away. Aaaaaaaaand...", his left eye glowed slightly purple as he looked up at the ceiling, but then it faded when he looked back at them,"Tigress and I call the room at the very end of the hall to the left of the top of the staircase. When you come back down we need to talk about our plans. Tigress' mother, our battle with the Demon, etc."

Everyone nodded and left for the stairs, they weren't particularly surprised when they saw the room he had called, nor were they surprised that he could call it in the first place with his Spiritual power after his display with the guards.

When they returned downstairs, Po was now sitting down on a couch in the sitting room examining the Dragon Scroll in his paws. He had it inside it's green container and was looking along the end that came off to let the Scroll itself out. Everyone sat down and relaxed, Tigress of course sat with Po and leaned on his arm. They all watched Po as he still studied the Dragon Scroll for a minute longer before sighing and setting it back down in his bag.

"So, any ideas?', he asked.

"Aboooout...?", Viper asked.

"Breaking into the Dungeon.", he replied.

"I've got one! We make a cake, right? I am in the cake! We send Tigress' mom the cake, and I bust her out from the inside!", exclaimed Mantis. No one. Said. A word.

Po and Tigress looked at each other, then back at Mantis.

"Oookay, moving on...", Po said.

"What? What's wrong with my idea?", Mantis bellowed.

"Situation one, you die inside the cake while it bakes. Situation two, you die suffocating in the _completed _cake. Situation three, you die when the guards test the cake to make sure there's nothing in it. Situation four, my mother accidently eats you because you can't tell when she receives the cake!", stated Tigress.

Mantis winced with each situation, his antennae twitching when she finished.

Everyone kept thinking until Tigress sighed,"I say we just wing it."

The rest of group looked at her. It was time for Mantis' payback.

"Situation one, you die. Situation two, _we _die! Situation three, y-", Viper smacked him in the back of the head gently.

"I know it sounds stupid, but we have absolutely no intel on what the prison looks like. And it's not like we can go visit a prisoner that's about to face the ax. And with less than two days to go, there's not enough time to get the intel.", Tigress sighed."And where will we go once we break her out of prison? She can't stay here..."

Po rubbed her shoulder softly,"Hun, we must be patient. This is a delicate situation to say the least.", he sighed through his nose and looked to the floor in thought, his Master's Eye glowing bright. When everyone tried to sheild their eyes at the brightness, he shut his eyes,"Sorry. Just...thinking...", just then his eyes stopped glowing and he opened his eyes."Well, it's an idea. May not be perfect, but I think it's our best shot."

"What is it, Po?", asked Tigress.

He sighed as he cleared his head so he could think more easily, trying to visualize each step in his mind,"Okay...

Plan A: Tigress, Mantis, Dr. Kimeru and I will arrive at the dungeon in one hour. Dr. Kimeru, Mantis, you'll stay out of sight until I say otherwise. Mantis will stay in my vest, Dr. Kimeru will stay just acrossed the street with Koru. When Tigress, Mantis and I make a first attempt, we'll go inside to ask if we may visit Tigress' mother. If they say yes, and ask for a private room to speak with her in. That's going to be the tough part if they say no because if they don't give us a room we'll only have seconds to pull this off. Once we have Tigress and her mother alone, they'll switch clothes provided that they look enough alike. If she doesn't look enough like Tigress, we go on to plan C. But if she does, we sneak her out dressed as Tigress, covering her face in a sob to put the icing on the cake. As we leave, no matter what Mantis, you'll slip along the corners and take a mental map of the entire dungeon. Later tonight, Mantis will pick the lock and he and Tigress will escape through whatever route seems best. They'll run along the rooftops and if they are chased, Mantis, you'll bring your acupuncture needles along with you to immobilize and/or kill the guards with. You'll slip your needles along the inseam of Tigress' mother's clothes. Just don't stab me with them while you're hiding with me"

He took a deep breath and continued,"

Plan B: If we can't visit her, Tigress and I will leave and stay out of sight, Mantis will go with Dr. Kimeru and hide again but with her instead. She will claim that she is there to give the prisoner a final physical exam before her execution under the King's orders. When she goes into the prison, Mantis, you'll make a mental map of the entire dungeon like before but with the exception of going into the Warden's office this time to get as much info as you can about shift changes tonight. And when the shift changes, Mantis, Viper, Tigress and Crane will infiltrate. Crane, you'll sneak to the far end of the prison and after the shift changes, I want you to knock out a lone guard, whichever guard seems the easier target without getting caught. Once he's found, this will create a diversion and make it easier for the others to sneak Tigress' mother out."

Another deep breath was taken as everyone listened intently."

Plan C: If Dr. Kimeru is denied entrance, Mantis will still infiltrate and get the dungeon layout and shift changes. Tonight we go along with the same plan as Plan B, but Crane will be dropping smoke bombs on the far end of the dungeon and and he and Viper will use the confusion to take out as many guards as possible without being seen. I'll be at the same end of the dungeon using Gravity Bump to keep the guards heavy on their feet."

"And if you're injured and caught?", asked Tigress.

"If Plan C doesn't work and we end up injured and caught...", Po sighed and pointed to Viper and Crane before pointing to himself,"Viper, you'll beg for mercy in broken Chinese, Crane you'll yammer on about how this was all a big misunderstanding, and I'll curl up in the corner and think about pancakes."

Everyone snickered, even Tigress.

"But seriously though if that happens, we fight our way out and meet back here. That goes the same for any situation that goes so awry. And no matter what, when we have Tigress' mother with u and the king finds out we have her Tigress and I will request a private audience with him to work out a deal. Meanwhile, the rest of you will keep all security measures up in the Dragon Palace to protect Tigress' mother."

Everybody nodded in agreement with the plans.

Po finally relaxed and let out a sigh as he leaned back on the couch.

"So what about other business?", asked Shiro, just to annoy Po.

Po groaned,"Oh yeah, of course...", he sat back up as Tigress shot Shiro a death glare."Well as for the Demon, we need to get all the info we can on her. And according to Master Oogway, all of her family history is in the Hall of Species. And after the current matter ends, we'll just train as hard as we can, study info on the Demon, and try to cooperate with the King's military to create better defenses and strategies."

"Anything else?", Shiro said smugly. Tigress growled softly.

"Y-yeah, Crane?", said Po.

Crane perked up when his name was called. Apparently he wasn't paying as much attention as everyone else was."Hm?"

"I know this is gonna sound totally sucky, but..."he sighed."I'm going to need you to fly back to the Valley of Peace to retreive my dad for me."

Crane groaned and muttered under his breath."Damn it."

"I know, I know. But no one else can fly and it'll be so much easier and quicker for you. But it's not for another two weeks, and until that time, well...", Po trailed off, but mumbled slightly. He felt bad enough making Crane do this, and this was going to make Crane absolutely hate him.

"What?", asked Crane with an exasperated sigh.

"Okay, don't hate me please. But I think...you should train until you make the trip..."

"What's so bad about that?"

"By flying all day every day with a bunch of weight on your back and talons.", Po muttered this quickly as if it was one word.

Crane groaned,"Po, what the fuck?"

"Sorry..."

Crane sighed and looked away from the panda he hated so much at the moment."Fine..."

"Anything else?", asked Shiro. Tigress was about to go smack Shiro in the face, but Song beat her to it and punched Shiro hard in the chest, making him flinch.

"Don't be an ass.", Song said.

"Anyways, yeah there is. I still need to learn Tiger Style, Monkey Style and Crane Style. And it needs to be fast. So babe, once you go over the basics with me, we have to amp it up big time.", said Po. Tigress nodded.

Little did the group know, there were two yellow eyes hiding in the darkness of the upstairs hallway. Listening. Watching. And cackling inside...


	24. Chapter 24: Like Daughter, Like Daughter

Chapter 24: Like Daughter, Like Daughter

Tigress was walking with her mate to the dungeon after Song showed them directions over a map of the city they found in one of the studies at the palace. She was nervous. So nervous in fact that she was visibly shaking. Po could feel her shaking and so before they arrived at the dungeon entrance he stopped and pulled her to the side.

"Tigress, are you feeling okay? You're shaking.", he asked.

"I'm okay, love. I...just don't know how I'm going to react when I meet her.", Tigress replied. She purred as Po gently pulled her into a kiss to calm her nerves with one paw in the small of her back and the other gently carressing the back of her neck. To smell his scent, to feel his touch. It made all of the darkness in her heart fade away. She swooned as she felt his lips pulling hers into a moist embrace. She truly wished they could stand like this forever. But sadly, the task at hand would not allow it. And so their lips broke apart with a soft smack. She opened her eyes to look at his."Wow..."

Po smirked,"Better?"

"Yeah.", she said with a bit of a laugh, she had finally stopped shaking.

"Good.", he said softly with a smile, his eyes glowing softly to let her feel his calmness and confidence. He took her paw in his as they started walking again.

They went around the corner and up to the large wooden gate that was the main entrance to the dungeon. There was a rather large looking boar with one eye who was carrying a Meteor hammer at his side. He stood infront of the two.

"What business do you two have here?", he asked in a gruff manner.

"Just like we practiced, hun.", whispered Po out of the corner of his mouth. Tigress began to weep softly.

The boar looked at her with a hint of concern in his aged face."What's wrong with her?"

"I'm sorry sir, she's just a little upset. We're here to see the female tiger you're going to be executing. You see, my fiancee is her daughter and we just found out she was here. Is there any possible way we could speak with her alone? They have been astranged for years.", said Po in a convicingly sad voice, mainly because it was somewhat genuine since so much of it was the sad truth. Tigress even began to cry real tears over her paw covered face at Po's explanation.

The boar sighed as he heard the panda and nodded."Yes, of course. Follow me.", he then led them through the gates as they rose at his command to the other guards. They walked in slowly as they heard cries in anguish and growls of hatred all throughout the dungeon. It was dark as dungeons normally were. There were torches on the walls for a little light as none of the cells had windows.

Outside, across the street, Dr. Kimeru was watching with Koru as they hid behind a large crate imbetween two vendors. She sighed nervously,"I hope they'll be okay."

Koru nodded."I'm sure they will."

"But something seems...off. It shouldn't be this easy, the guards shouldn't have let them in without a better explanation of who they were, they didn't even ask for a name!", Yunwei squinted her eyes as she watched the guards. There were five in all right now. But two of them, a rhino and a pig, drew their swords and smirked at each other before going inside. Yunwei's eyes widened."It's a trap!", she whispered before rushing across the street. Koru ran after her worriedly.

Before the guards were out of sight, Yunwei spoke up.

"Excuse me, sir! Sir!", she called out, stopping the two. They turned around and walked over to the now closed gate.

"Well well well, lookie what we've got here Dao. A female, and a pretty one at that!", said the pig. Yunwei resisted a blush, mainly because of their additude.

"Sirs, I was sent here under orders of the king. He instructed me to give a physical to one of your prisoners who is about to be executed.", she said.

"Well you can give me a physical, darling. I promise I don't bite. Much.", said the rhino.

Yunwei felt uncomfortable at their advances, but smiled inside when she heard Koru let out a posessive growl behind her. The guards looked at the tiger and scowled.

"Who's that? And why does he have blood all over him?", asked the rhino.

Koru looked down at his vest. In his stupidity he hadn't changed his clothes from the day before yesterday. He did his best to keep from facepalming. Yunwei glanced at his vest as a twinkle shone in her eye at the sight, she turned to the guards with a smile.

"Oh, this is my assisstant and lover. Sorry we just came from a horrid operation. And he had no time to change clothes.", Koru turned a bright red when he was referred to as her lover.

"Hm. Fine. Let them in.", said the pig disappointedly to the guards that operated the gate.

Meanwhile, Tigress and Po found themselves in the hall colorfully deemed-

"Rotter's Alley.", said the boar."The hall of all the most atrocious villians around scheduled to die to make this world a better place."

"Sir, may I ask...what she did? I know my mother is shady at times, but I never would have thought...", said Tigress. Po was surprised at just how good of an actor she was.

"Eh, she thought it wise to steal a night with the king in his bedchambers. And since the king has no queen, it was rather easy to sneak into his bed."

Tigress blinked.

"So...she raped him?", said Po.

"Naw, the king allowed her to do it. No offense ma'am, but your mother is quite the looker.", said the boar.

Tigress nodded and looked down the hall,"Which one is she in? And may I have a private room to speak with her in? I don't want the rest of this scum to hear our conversation."

"She's in cell number twenty seven. As for the room, our space is limited. But you might be able to use the warden's office if you wish.", said the boar as he walked down the hall followed by the two. Tigress let in a deep breath and blew it out to try and calm her nerves again. Po gripped her right hand with his own as he had his left arm around her.

They stopped infront of the cell. Cell number twenty seven. It was just like all the others. About twenty square feet. Surrounded by stone. A cot on the far side. And in that cot was a sleeping female tiger with her back to them. They couldn't see her clearly because of how shaded it was in the far side of her cell, but Tigress still tensed up when she saw the shape of her mother. Her own real biological mother.

The boar called out,"Hey, Jiu-Ne! Visitors!"

Tigress felt like growling at the boar for disturbing her mother's sleep, but she was stopped by another growl that sounded much like her own.

"Piss off, who is it just another guard asking for a repeat performance?", snarled Jiu-Ne.

"It's your daughter and her fiancee.", said the boar.

The tiger scoffed, never turning around."Yeah right. I left that poor girl in the Valley of Peace, why would she be here?"

"It's really me, mother.", said Tigress softly, causing Jiu-Ne to look over her shoulder, then lauch herself to the bars of the cell. She looked a lot like Tigress. The patterns on her forehead were a little different, and her eyes were a soft shade of hazel, but aside from that they were almost twins.

"Hei-Wa! What are you doing here? Is it really you?", she asked frantically.

"R-relax, mother. We'll talk in the warden's office in private.", said Tigress as she put a paw up to stop her mother's possibly unending line of questions. The boar slipped accupuncture cuffs through the bars as Jiu-Ne held out her paws. Once she was retrained, the boar opened the cell door and led the older tiger through the hall, followed by Po and Tigress. Suddenly, Yunwei and Koru met them in the hall with two guards and both groups stopped.

"Uhhhhhhh...", said Po as he tried to think on the spot. He was about to close his eyes to use Master's Eye when...

Dr. Yunwei cleared her throat,"I-I am here to give the prisoner you have with you a final examination. I hope you aren't taking her to be executed yet!", she stated, but glanced at the guards and continued,"Because...I need the money."

"No doctor, we're just taking her to the warden's office. You can examine her after these three catch up.", said the boar, he then turned his back to the doctor to look at Tigress."Or if you'd rather wait, whichever works for you miss."

Yunwei, who was behind the two guards, pointed at the guards infront of them, then pointed to Po and Tigress and made a cutting gesture acrossed her throat. Koru nodded stupidly, he didn't know what else to do, he was panicking inside. Jiu-Ne just looked confused. Tigress kept glancing at the doctor.

"Uhhh...I think it would be better if we killed two birds with one stone?", said Tigress with uncertainty in her voice.

The doctor gave her a thumbs up.

The boar nodded, but eyed her confusedly,"Whatever you say, ma'am. Okay guys, you can go back to the front, I'll show them to the office."

The guards looked at the boar, then at Po and Tigress before grumbling and walking back to the front gate. The group made their way to the warden's office. Strangely enough, the warden wasn't there anyway. The boar waited outside the closed door since there was no other way out.

Tigress spoke up immediately in a hushed tone,"Okay what happened? Why did you guy's come in? Plan A went great! In fact, Mantis, get going."

"Ow!", said Po as Mantis slipped out of Po's vest with his arms full of needles.

"Sorry bro.", he hopped over to Tigress' mother and started putting the needles in the inseams of her rag like clothes.

"Sorry Tigress, but the guards started to follow you inside with their swords out. So I panicked. I had to warn you.", said Yunwei.

"And Koru? He's not exactly inconspicuous.", said Tigress.

"I'm her asisstant and lover.", blurted out Koru before he could stop himself and blushed hard. Yunwei giggled. Tigress rolled her eyes. Jiu-Ne sighed in aggravation.

"What's going on? Hei-Wa, what are you doing?", whispered Jiu-Ne.

"We're busting you out of here.", said Po.

"What? You can't! You'll get yourself killed!", Jiu-Ne said in a whispered tone.

"No offense mother, but you have no idea what I'm capable of. Especially when I'm pissed. And I'm getting their plenty fast.", replied Tigress. Po nodded.

"Yeah it's true. I remember once when she beat my ass just because I left a moon cake at her door.", said Po.

"You didn't even knock and I slipped in it. Ended up in the Jade Palace infirmiry for two days.", said Tigress in a rather annoyed tone.

"Wait, Jade Palace?", said Jiu-Ne. She looked at Tigress, then at Po, then at Mantis, who was now busy looking through the warden's files."So it's true...you're the Furious Five."

"Uh actually, _we _aren't", said Koru as he pointed to him and Yunwei.

"And I'm not either. Just some poor schlub who lucked out and met someone beautiful.", said Po, making Tigress blush.

"Po stop, not infront of my mother."

Jiu-Ne smiled a bit."A panda, huh? Huh, never would have guessed."

"Yeah, I get that a lot.", chuckled Po. Then he winced,"Oh, I'm sorry I haven't properly introduced myself. My name is Po Ping, it is an honor to meet you, Jiu-Ne. I can see where Tigress gets her beauty.", he bowed.

Jiu-Ne smiled more and whispered to Tigress,"I like him."

"Good, cus I'm stuck with him.", Tigress whispered back.

Everyone laughed softly.

"Done. Now I've just got to map the friggin place. Meet you back at the cell, Tigress?", he started to hop to the door when Po grabbed him.

"Uhhh, forget somethin man?", Po said pointing at the acupuncture cuffs. Mantis did his version of a face palm and hopped out of Po's hand to start picking at the lock.

"Now mother, this may be hard for you, but I need you to follow our plan down to the letter. We're going to switch outfits and when you walk out, you and Po are going to rush outside. I want you to keep your face covered and act like you're me crying into your paws. I'll be taking your place in your cell,", she held her paw up when her mother started to objected, she continued,", tonight Mantis will pick the lock on the cell and we'll escape while the others create a diversion. Once everyone is safe we're going to talk to the king and demand that a deal be made."

Jiu-Ne sighed and nodded. There was no other way. And she so wanted to be able to see her daughter for longer than two days."Alright, Hei-Wa. But you'd better succeed in your escape."

Tigress smiled and nodded."I promise."

Mantis finally finished unlocking the cuffs and hopped down to the floor.

"Okay guys, go out into the hall so that we can change clothes.", said Tigress.

Po nodded, opened the door, then quickly closed it"Uhhh, I don't think...we'll have the time See there's about three dozen guards or so out there.", said Po as he pointed over his shoulder at the door. He looked at Koru nervously."Hey, Koru? You wouldn't have happened to bring any weapons with you, did you?"

Koru shook his head."No."

Po sighed."Tigress, stand back. Koru, come with me. Mantis, guard the door in case of straglers.", his eyes then turned red as he popped his neck.

Tigress smirked and bit his jaw playfully before kissing the spot."Go get em, baby."

Po smirked back and nodded. He and Koru got infront of the door. Yunwei and Jiu-Ne got behind Tigress in the corner. Mantis stood behind the two. Just then Koru opened the door and lunged into the fray as did Po with a roar. They smacked, punched, kicked, slashed and bit at the guards. Po elbowed two guards, then headbutted another before ducking a swing from the Meteor hammer that the boar was holding. The swing accidently smacked into a couple of guards in the confined space. Koru was dodging every hit that came his way, and with every hit he found, he returned to sender with gratuity in the form of palm strikes and kicks.

Mantis had to knock out a few gaurds that slipped past the piles of dead or unconcious bodies with his chi blocking pressure point attacks. A minute later, they heard Po shout,"Let's go!", and the four ran out of the room and down the hall towards the front gate. It began to close, but Koru did a spin kick while still running and busted through the wooden gate before sweeping the leg of a nearby guard and punching him in the throat. The group made a dash for the rooftops.

Koru had Yunwei on his back as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop and Po had Jiu-Ne on his back while Tigress was their primary defense to protect the rear with Mantis on top of her head covering her blindspots.

They breathed a heavy sigh of relief when no guards gave chase and went back to the palace post haste.

When they arrived, everyone immediately plopped down in the chairs panting as the others who had stayed behind began to scan and secure the building.

"Well that was fun...", said Po.

"What the hell happened? How'd they find out?", asked Mantis.

"I don't know, but I'd imagine that tonight is going to be seriously rough.", said Tigress.

"In any event, your mom's safe. Everyone is. That's what matters.", smiled Po. Tigress smiled back and nodded.

"So how serious is this, Hei-Wa?", Jiu-Ne said with a smile at the two.

Tigress blushed."Pretty serious.

Po took her left paw in his right paw and they looked back at her with hopeful expressions of her blessing.

Jiu-Ne looked at them, then noticed the ring. She smiled wide,"I'm so happy for you, daughter!"

"Have you told her about the upcoming boy or girl yet?", said Viper excitedly as she poked her head out from behind the chair Po was sitting in with Tigress in his lap. Viper had just finished scanning the hiding spots on the ground surrounding the palace.

"Viper!", hissed Tigress. Viper giggled.

"Sorry, sister, I couldn't resist."

"You are pregnant?", asked Jiu-Ne.

Tigress smiled,"Yes mother. We found out not long ago."

Jiu-Ne twitched an ear as she heard a soft snarl in the distance."What the hell was that?"

"Probably Song trying not to listen in on the conversation.", said Crane as he sat down from just giving the palace an ariel once over.

Shiro sighed and walked up the stairs as he had made sure there were no entrances through the back yard and had locked all the doors to the exterior of the building,"I'll see what the problem is."

Jiu-Ne looked over at Tigress, who shook her head as if to say 'don't ask'.

"So I've heard all about the famous Master Tigress, which I'm very proud of you by the way Hei-Wa.", said Jiu-Ne, making Tigress blush in embarrassment. She wasn't used to someone saying they were proud of her,"But what does the Mr. Po Ping, my future son-in-law do for a living? I can see that you are very immersed in Kung Fu like my daughter. Are you an instructor?"

Po's ear twitched. He was feeling embarrassed too, but it was more for Jiu-Ne than for himself. How could the fact of the Dragon Warrior being the last panda in all of China be so hidden in this part of the country?

Crane busted out laughing when she asked her question and Viper hissed at him,"Crane, stop it! She doesn't know, what's wrong with that? Did you not notice how no one barraged us for autographs when we arrived here?"

Crane stopped laughing and cleared his throat."Uh yeah, I guess that's...that's true. Sorry Miss Jiu-Ne."

"Am I missing something obvious?", Jiu-Ne asked as she glanced at everyone, Monkey having just come in from locking all the windows in the building.

"Y-you see mother, well...Po is the um...the Dragon Warrior.", said Tigress, feeling immensly awkward. As Tigress spoke, Song walked downstairs with Shiro behind her. She looked a little frustrated as she plopped down on one of the chairs, glancing at Jiu-Ne and giving her a nod to agknowledge her.

Jiu-Ne perked her ears up and she looked at Po again with a hint of sudden interest in her eyes."Oh really?", Jiu-Ne looked him over and felt a twinge of lust hit her. She always had a...weakness for men with power. Especially those with high political power. She cleared her throat and smiled,"Well that's...that's fantastic.", she stretched slightly, allowing her chest to come out a little when she stretched."Well is there any place around here that I can get a bath? I feel disgusting. A strong drink would be good, too."

Song's whiskers twitched as she narrowed her eyes at Jiu-Ne. Viper nodded at Jiu-Ne and proceeded to lead her up the stairs to one of the many washrooms.

Song waited until Jiu-Ne was out of sight, then she got up and walked over to Tigress and Po with a sigh.

"Can I talk to you?"

"Uh sure, I gues-", began Po.

"No not you, Tigress.", she interuppted.

Tigress shrugged and stood up, flicking her tail along Po's jaw playfully as she walked away with Song into the back yard.

Song stood under the large porch with Tigress, she looked at the tiger uneasily,"Look, this is extremely awkward for me to say, especially with your mom just arriving. But there's a problem and I think you deserve to know what it is."

"Wow after all we've done together, I never thought awkwardness would be an issue.", said Tigress somewhat sarcastically.

"Look, do you want to hear this or not?", Song crossed her arms.

"Fine. Sorry."

Song took a few seconds to breathe deeply and allow herself to mentally prepare for what she was about to say."I think...Jiu-Ne has the hots for Po."

Tigress growled softly,"Don't fuck with me right now, I'm in no mood. Just because you get horny so easily doe-"

"I'm not fooling around here! Look, I'm not saying this for your benifit but for Po's. He loves you so much. And your mom looks a lot like you. So if she get's him alone in the dark or something, he might-"

"Don't say it! I'm warning you, don't you dare say it!", snarled Tigress.

"...accidently mate with her."

Tigress' face flinched in anger.

"And with your temper, you wouldn't go easy on your mom or Po. Even though it's not his fault. So I'm warning you. Take it from someone who knows the signs because she's made the signs herself. For Po. Keep an eye on her.", said Song before she walked back into the palace.

Tigress growled loudly. Po came out and put his arms around her,"Hun, you alright?"

"Yes Po, I-I'm fine...", she said while sheathing her claws.

"You don't seem like it. Why don't you relax, take a page from your mom's book and go take a bath?"

She sighed,"Fine. You coming?"

"As much as I'd love to, I have to work on something."

"On what?", she asked.

"Eh it's nothing really. Something Master Oogway has been trying to get me to do. It's tough, but I think I can do it.", Po said scratching the back of his head and looking down with his other paw on his waist as if he was trying to figure out a huge math problem.

"Okay. Well tell me about it when I come back down, okay? Sounds really interesting."

"I may join you if I can, though, okay?", he said as they walked into the palace and locked the door behind them.

"Okay. Don't be too long, now.", she said with a wink.

Po chuckled and winked back as Tigress walked away from him and walked up the steps.

Po went back to his seat and got out the Dragon Scroll, and began to examine it as he did before. Monkey walked over to him and started to tease Po by imitating every bit of his facial expressions whenever they changed. Po noticed Monkey's antics and sighed."Not the best time to joke, man."

"Sorry. What are you doing?"

"Looking for...a way to open the scroll.", Po replied while turning the cylinder slowly in his paws.

"Why can't you open it now? And what's the big deal, you already know it's blank.", Monkey shrugged his points.

"Let's just say it's another step to become one with the universe and get closer to Tigress at the same time.", Po said as his voice groaned the words while he tried to pull and twist the top off with all his might.

"This coming from the guy that got Tigress pregnant..", Crane said.

"Not physically guys, I'm talking about...you know, soul stuff.", said the panda as he gently fidgeted with the cylinder.

"I don't get it, man. I mean I get it, but why do you have to have the Dragon Scroll to do it?", said Mantis.

"Look I havent told you guys any details yet for a reason, so would you please give me some friggin space, get off my damn back and let me tell you everything when I'm good and ready?", snapped Po.

The guys blinked. Yunwei flinched as Po's outburst woke her up from her nap where she had been leaning on Koru's shoulder. She yawn softly and stretched.

"Sorry doc, but I couldn't help it. Damn it!", Po said as he tossed the infuriating scroll back into his bag to go upstairs and take a bath with Tigress.

"What the hell's his problem?", said Mantis.

Shiro looked at the scroll sticking out of the bag curiously."I don't know. But...I feel as if I should..."

Meanwhile Po huffed his way through the halls. He stopped when he realized he had no idea where the bathing areas were. His eye glowed purple like before and he scanned around quickly until he spotted Tigress bathing a few doors away. He let his eye fade back to green and knocked.

"Hey babe, I'm coming in.", he said.

"Hm? Mkay.", the feline murmured.

Before Po could open the door, an orange paw grabbed his paw before he could grab the doorknob. He looked at the paw's owner and blinked in confusion. It was Tigress.

"Ti, how di-", she interuppted him and spoke softly.

"Po go into our room, there's a bathing area inside already filled with hot water. I'll join you.", she had a look of concern on her face, but as Po opened his mouth to speak, she kissed him softly and spoke more sternly, but just as soft."Go. I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

Po nodded and walked to their room. Once he was inside, Tigress gently opened the door and closed it quietly. She looked over at the tiger laying in the tub with her eyes closed and her head bowed looking very relaxed. Tigress walked over adding a little bit of weight to her steps to imitate Po's steps. She grabbed a towel and put it over her mother's shoulders before rubbing them softly.

To her disappointment, her mother moaned and mumbled while keeping her eyes closed and her head down, obviously trying to keep her actual identity a secret."Mmmm, Po that feels good."

Tigress immediately stopped, walked out and slammed the door behind her. Jiu-Ne opened her eyes and looked back at the door in confusion.

Tigress marched downstairs and went to Song, who was sitting in Shiro's lap and playing with his whiskers. Song looked up at Tigress when she stopped infront of them.

"I...need to talk to you."

"Same subject?"

Tigress nodded. Song sighed, then kissed Shiro before getting up and walking into the kitchen with Tigress.

"I want to apologize."

Song covered her mouth with her paws."It happened this soon?"

"It almost did.", she said without missing a beat.

"Well, apology accepted. I just hope nothing ends up happening. I'll keep an eye out for you."

"Thank you Song...", Tigress hesitated, but she gave Song a gentle hug, which Song returned."You're a good friend."

"Always have been.", Song smirked as they broke the hug, then nodded over her shoulder."Now go upstairs and take care of business."

Tigress allowed herself a small smile and nodded before walking out of the kitchen and going upstairs to join Po. Song smiled proudly at herself for what she just accomplished and picked up an apple out of a fruit bowl to eat it, but as she was going to take a bite, she noticed something peculiar at the bare bottom of the bowl. It was a sleeping bee. And it had the Imperial Crest of the Emporer of China imprinted on it's back.


	25. Chapter 25: Troop Or Group?

Chapter 25: Troop or Group?

The snow leopardess squinted her eyes and stared at the bee. She ever so gently put the apple back down where it was, backed up out of the kitchen, and whispered into the sitting room.

"Mantis! Mantis!", she yelled in a hushed whisper. Mantis hopped onto the back of the couch he was relaxing in that had it's back to Song and twitched his antannae.

"Yeah?", he whispered in a somewhat mocking tone.

Song motioned for him to come over by swinging her paw inwardly towards her in a swift manner repeatedly, squinting her eyes and baring her fangs in frustration at the bug...or bugs. Mantis blinked and hopped over to Song, and she immediately grabbed him and whispered.

"We've got a spy, and there may be more like it all over the place."

"Whoa, seriously? Do yu think the king sent them?", he whispered back.

Song shook her head,"It has the Imperial seal on it's back."

"Wh-, how did, what?", Mantis stuttered quietly,"How can you tell, and where is the spy?"

"It's sleeping. It's a bee. I need you to paralyze it so we can show everyone the seal before we kill it, otherwise the seal will be all mashed up. They need to know that it's the Emporor's spy."

Mantis nodded understandably, so Song crept back into the kitchen with Mantis now on her shoulder. She inched her way to the fruit bowl and put her paw on the apple she held earlier.

"Get ready", she whispered. Mantis got into his defensive stance and narrowed his eyes at the apple.

She quickly picked the apple up as Mantis jumped forward. He landed right beside the bee and put his pinschers into it a few times, crippling and paralyzing it, but not before it swung it's stinger straight into one of Mantis' legs. Mantis groaned in pain and coughed as the mild venom of the bee sting began to flow into his entire tiny body. He collapsed ontop of the bee.

"VIPER!", Song shouted.

Viper slid in quickly,"What' wrong?"

"It's Mantis, he's been stung by a bee!", she replied. Normally such a thing would be frivilous and almost dull, but with Mantis' small body receiving the same amount of venom it would take to numb a normal sized person's flesh by even a few inches around the wound, Mantis was in trouble.

Viper rushed to Mantis' side as Song gingerly pulled the stinger out of Mantis' leg and gently set him down on the floor.

"What do we do, what do we do?", shouted Viper.

"What are you asking me for, you're more familiar with venom than I am!", said Song.

"What's going on in here?", said 'Doctor' Kimeru.

In the instant that the two females on the floor realized it was Dr. Kimeru, they both mentally faepalmed, but hurriedly went passed it and reacted to her question.

"Mantis got stung by a bee! What should we do?", asked Song.

"Please help him!", whimpered Viper.

"Alright, alright, go into my bag upstairs with the big plus sign on it and get out the medical kit labeled 'internal injuries'.", Dr. Kimeru said as she knelt down next to Mantis and tried to feel his tiny pulse. He wasn't breathing and his bloodpressure was getting very weak. By now Shiro, Monkey, Crane and Koru were standing in the kitchen on the other side of the table so as not to get in the way.

Viper nodded and slid out of the kitchen upstairs in a rapid pace. If you were just standing in the sitting room watching her it would have made for a beautiful show as she eligantly threaded her head and body through the bars of the railing in a spiral up the winding stairs, then back down through the other side of the railing. It only took her about thirty seconds to get back.

Dr. Kimeru grabbed her medical kit, opened it up and took out a savve before rubbing it onto the wound in a circlular motion. The savve slowly allowed the wound to open up and bleed instead of creating a massive lump that would have essentially made Mantis have a heart attack. Once the wound began to bleed, she grabbed some guaze, tore it in half lengthwise and wrapped it around the bleeding wound. Finally she took out a syringe and a small amount of potassium, filling the syringe a quarter way full and injecting half of it into Mantis' blood stream to keep his muscles from constricting and cramping, allowing him to breathe normally. The wolf doctor sighed in relief when Mantis coughed and gasped a lungfull of air.

"I've done all I can do now by countering the physical effects of the venom, but he'll have to let the venom go through it's chemical process inside his body before the numbness goes away.", she said while putting her things back into her medical kit and standing.

"Thank you, Yunwei.", said Viper as she cradled Mantis in her tail, looking away from him only to look up at the doctor to thank her with a nod.

"Anytime. Now what's with this bee? Why'd it sting Mantis?", Yunwei asked.

"It's a spy. A dead one now. I just hope that...", Song sighed in relief as she picked up the bee, the seal on it's back still intact, albiet a little ruffled it was still readable.

Crane's eyes widened,"An Imperial Palace spy?"

Song nodded,"Yeah. So I guess we have bigger things to worry about than just the king's lackies coming.", she unsheathed a claw and stabbed the bee in it's abdomen to make sure it was dead before laying it's body on the table.

They all sat down at the table and began to discuss what should be done, but it would all be pretty much useless without their leaders present, Tigress and Po.

Meanwhile, Tigress and Po were laying in the hot water of the tub enjoying the feel of each other and occassionally exchanging a series of kisses with carressing being ever present. Tigress sighed happily in Po's arms, trying and somewhat succeeding at putting the recent feeling of betrayal of her mother in the back of her head. However, her unsuspecting love gave her another bitter glimpse of the feeling when he spoke.

"So what do you think of your mom? Are you going to try to have a relationship with her?", he asked.

Tigress shook her head."I don't really know yet. I don't think I should trust her. After what she did with the king..."

Po nodded,"Yeah I'd imagine that that would be pretty hard to get passed. What are you going to do? Talk to her about it?"

"Again, I don't know. But I'll still talk to her about other things. At the least I want to have closure on what exactly happened to my father, and what happened to her to have come all the way out here. And why...she left me at Bao Gu."

Her mate rubbed her shoulder,"I think that would be a good idea."

She cleared her throat and looked up at him,"So what is this task Master Oogway wanted you to finish?", she asked, trying to change the subject.

"Oh. Well...I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you. Just don't tell anyone else. Remember reading Monkey's letter?"

Tigress perked up her ears,"Yes?"

"Well...", he cleared his throat nervously,"It's about Yogan and Seikaku."

Tigress turned her head to the side slightly in confusion. It was rather cute to see her expression like that."And? Are you supposed to train with them in the Spirit World?"

"Sssorta.", he chuckled nervously."Y-You see, uhm...how do I put this? Oogway said that I'm supposed to free the souls of the two, and...", he sighed and looked into the water, then he spoke slowly after raising his head back up to look into her eyes,"Try to piece this together for me. Metallurgy...fifty years without eating...and...big temper...fierce fighter...Dragon...Tiger..."

Tigress' eyes narrowed slightly. Was he saying...what she thought he was saying?

"Po...are you trying to tell me that...we're...?", she asked narrowing her eyes into slits. Po could feel her heartbeat fast. She understood. She just wanted confirmation from him, the one who she knew she could trust.

Po smiled softly and nodded,"Hey, Seikaku."

Tigress trembled slightly. This was a lot to take. She was the reincarnation of a dragon, and Po of a tiger? Two of the first masters of the very first Furious Five? Not to mention they were lovers.

"Yogan and Seikaku apparently decided during their final days together while Yogan was still alive meditating to bind their souls to other bodies since it was actually possible for them, being such powerful masters. And they loved each other so much, er at least we loved each other so much, that we decided to reincarnate ourselves into each other's species.I couldn't of course become a dragon, since they're extinct, so they had the gods to decide to guide Oogway to find the next Dragon Warrior. So that we could be together.", he smiled.

Tigress' cheeks turned red."So if what you're saying is true...then...our souls have been in love for generations."

Po blushed as well and nodded."That was my first thought, too. It makes so much sense, doesn't it? We've literally been and will be bonded forever."

Tigress beamed at him and let happy tears fall as she rubbed the top of her head against his neck, a purr left her throat. Something this outrageous would normally leave her mistrusting and downright angry, but with Oogway himself telling Po, the love of her life, she had no reason to question it."So what should we do now? Call each other Yogan and Seikaku? And how are we supposed to release our souls?"

"Yeah, that's what I've been frustrated with. Oogway said that the Dragon Scroll held our memories of the past. But since our dormant souls weren't as close to each other as they needed to be when it was opened, the memories wouldn't unlock. And now that we've admitted our love for each other, the memories should have unlocked. But the Dragon Scroll won't open."

"Want me to open it for you?", said Tigress, if not somewhat teasingly.

"No, Oogway said that I have to be the one to open it this time.", Po said while trying to ignore the slight hurt of an insult. Po knew Tigress was stronger. Tigress knew that Po knew she was stronger. But for some reason Po's male pride didn't want her opening something that he couldn't open himself.

"Okay, Yogan.", giggled Tigress.

Po stuck his tongue out at her, but before he could pull it back in Tigress gently bit his tongue with a playfull growl. She pulled Po's tongue into her mouth as she kissed him, letting her own tongue glide into his mouth as the sounds of their lips carressing each other in a wet embrace had filled the large bathing room in almost an echo.

Jiu-Ne was just getting out of her bath and had just put on the clothes Viper gave her from Tigress' bag. It wasn't really Tigress' style, they had to buy some clothes in the last village when Po bought his vest since they threw all their other clothes away. It was another vest, but it was yellow with four bold white stripes going down the shoulders to meet at the bottom of the garment, two on either side, and instead of only three clasps it had seven evenly spread down the opening. But thankfully Tigress had found some somewhat similar slacks to imitate her old ones. They were black, but they had open leggings at the foot and the waist was a little loose.

"God, how can she wear something this tight? Ugh.", said Jiu-Ne before undoing the top three straps of the vest, causing quite a bit of cleavage to show. A sigh of relief passed her lips. The older tiger walked out of the bathing area and began to walk down the stairs, when she heard sloshing. Her ear twitched. Had she forgotten to drain the bath?

Jiu-Ne walked back to the bathing area, opened the door and looked over from the doorway. Yep, drained. Her ear twitched again as she heard the sloshing yet again, but louder this time. She turned her head to the left. It was coming from the end of the hall. Her bare paws slowly crept up to the door, and her sensative ear twitched as it made soft contact with the door. She blushed as she heard her daughter and Po moaning.

The curious tiger bit her thumb in contemplation. She really didn't want to see her daughter in the throws of passion like she herself was on a normal basis. But just hearing Tigress' primal moans alone sent a chill down her spine. Po must be grand in scale and technique to have brought out a sound like that. Curiosity getting the best of her, she cracked open the door and peered inside. Her cheeks turned redder when she saw Po's pride making a repeated appearance and disappearance infront of her.

She licked her lips and kept herself from purring. She would have that panda, if not just for a single night. But she had to be tactful, she had to be secretive. And above all she had to make sure she got her daughter away from Po long enough for her to do the deed. So she quietly shut the door, turned around, walked down the hall and around the corner to the stairs to meet the face of an angry snow leopardess. Wait, what?

Song let out an almost feral growl as she glared at Jiu-Ne through the slits that were her eyes, her arms were crossed and her ears were flat against her skull. Her tail flicked in an unsettling way. Song was on her way up to her and Shiro's room to search for spies before tonight, for the king would surely send some of his men in an attempt to recapture Jiu-Ne and they had all agreed that the less the Emporer's spies had seen their battle strategies the better. But now there was about to be a battle, if it came to it, before the spies were

"Whoa, what the hell's got your panties in a knot?", said Jiu-Ne as she glared back at Song.

"Stay. Away from him.", snarled Song.

"Who?", growled Jiu-Ne.

"You know damn well who. Po. How dare you? He's your daughter's fiancee! The one who's impregnated her!"

"Don't judge me until you've been through what I've been through. While you've lived in palaces and eaten delicious and abundant dinners every night while having your little boyfriend with you, I've been living on the streets, trying to survive, alone. I've had to do some things I'm not proud of to keep myself alive. But I did what I had to.", spat Jiu-Ne.

Song let out a chuckle,"I understand more than you think. Only difference is I didn't whore myself out I just blackmailed to get what I wanted. And I only did it once. You look like you're ready to use Po as your own personal fuck toy."

"What the hell would you know about it?"

"I know that Po has a cute little spot of black fur right at the base of his groin.", Song said giving a slightly raised eyebrow to Jiu-Ne.

"You've...been with Po?", the tiger said in a surprised tone.

Song nodded."Was it worth it? Yeah I guess it was. Was it spectacular? You bet your ass it was. Would I do it again? Hell no. It was wrong for me to do it and I feel horrible for putting my best friend through that. He deserved better. And he still does. So I say again. Stay away from him. Tigress already knows you've got it bad for him, and I promised her I'd keep my eyes on you."

Jiu-Ne scowled at Song and walked past the leopardess, intentionally pushing her shoulder with her own before going downstairs. Song smirked in satisfaction and continued to her room.

Meanwhile, everyone was searching the palace from the first floor up. Scanning the floors, under the rug, the fireplace, behind the paintings, everywhere. Although Viper was keeping Mantis company as the others looked for spies. Mantis himself was sleeping, the numbness though it was slowly wearing off, had drained Mantis of his energy. Viper had carefully laid Mantis on her head and was slowly making her way up the winding stairs when she heard the conversation between Song and Jiu-Ne. Viper gasped when she heard their words and quickly hung herself down underneath the stairs from the railing to hide when Jiu-Ne walked down the stairs.

The snake glared at the back of Jiu-Ne's head and flicked her tongue out in annoyance. She almost contemplated the possibility of Po's joke a few days ago and wondered if catnip cologne actually existed. But she quickly shook the thought out of her mind and continued to slither up the stairs. Once she finally arrived at hers and Mantis' room, she laid him down on the bed. In a word, she was tired. Emotionally and physically. But she willed herself to scan their room top to bottom. Satisfied that there were no spies present, she slithered up to the bed and coiled herself around Mantis while nuzzling his body with her head. Slowly the snake fell asleep.

With the entire first floor scanned, Crane, Monkey, Koru, and Yunwei each checked their own individual rooms. Shiro simply decided to take a catnap in the sitting room since Song decided to check their room for him. Koru began his search. His room was small, being the last to arrive upstairs when they first arrived. But he didn't mind. He was satisfied with anything. The white tiger lifted one end of his almost empty dresser to search, looked under his bed, and slid his palm over every inch of his wall. As he kept this process going, he inched closer and closer to the window.

Koru loved windows. He knew it sounded odd to think it, even odder to say it. But windows just made him feel so much better. Like he didn't have to be kept anywhere he didn't want to be. Up until four years ago, he had always lived in the darkness of his home and when his master died, he immediately moved up to the second floor. And now every chance he got to open a window and feel the wind in his fur, he would take it. And this was no different.

Koru finally reached his destination. His paw slowly unlatched the lock in the middle and swung the shutters open. He sighed softly through his nostrils as the wind softly flicked the fur on his face. He closed his eyes and leaned his paws on the windowsill. His silvery white fur sparkled in the light of the setting sun before him. For the tiger, this was paradise. Pure, unabashed bliss swept over him and his ever tensing muscles began to relax. But his bliss was short lived when he felt a bee swish by his cheek. He shot his eyes open and went to grab at it, but it was too late.

He stood there, wide eyed as he stared into the now unrecognizable bee in the far off sky, his left paw still outstretched as if begging the bug to return. Next he heard a growl, which snapped him back to reality. He turned around only to feel a punch in his face. It didn't hurt, but the shock of what had happened made him fall back against the wall and stare at the leopardess who struck him. Everyone else was standing in his doorway as Yunwei flinched from Song's attack.

"Why the fuck did you open a window! Now they have intel on us! What exactly was going on through that thick skull of yours when you opened the window?", Song shouted right in Koru's face. Koru let a small growl out of his throat, but he furrowed his brow and looked at the floor in shame."I hope you're happy, now we'll be dealing with the Imperial Army! How does that make you feel? Hope you feel happy!", she spat before storming out of the room to go to Tigress and Po's room. She knew they were probably 'busy' right now, but they had had long enough time to do whatever they needed to do, the current events were more important in her mind.

Koru growled inwardly at himself as his paws clenched into bleeding fists. Everyone except Yunwei sighed and went on with their own business. They stopped searching, there was no point now. But Yunwei walked into Koru's room with a look of concern. She got within five feet of him before stopping when he growled louder.

"Stay away from me!", he said, not looking away from the floor. Yunwei flattened her ears against her head, but she didn't move or even speak."Get out of my room. I want to be left alone.", he said through bared fangs. When she did nothing but look at him, he clenched his paws tighter, causing them to bleed more as his claws dug in deep to the roots. He punched a hole through his mohogany dresser as he roared,"NOW!"

Yunwei backed up slightly, but did not leave. Finally in her state of fear and pity for the tiger, she opened her mouth to speak in her usual soft voice,"Why did you open the window, Koru?"

Koru growled loudly,"I thought I told you to leave!"

"Answer my question and I will...", she said as she walked a few feet closer and stopped.

Koru pulled his fist out of the dresser, which was now riddled with drops of his blood."I...I wanted to feel the wind.", he replied with pain etched into his voice.

"Why did you want to feel the wind?", Yunwei asked, taking a few more steps.

The tiger backed up a little when she walked closer."You said you'd leave."

"I lied."

He growled painfully."Of course you did, everyone always does.", he muttered bitterly.

"Lies are a horrible thing, Koru, but they are necissary if they are to help the ones you care about.", she said sadly.

"Why the hell would your lying help me?"

She felt a rare wave of anger hit her at his question. It gave her a bit of confidence to confront him as she narrowed her eyes and walked towards him,"Because you were just struck by a friend, yelled at, scolded, and now you're bleeding! And I need to find out the truth about what's going on with you if I am to help you, and I obviously can't do that if I'm not in here!", she walked towards him until he backed up against the wall, his face covered in shock from her outburst and sudden movements. He flinched slightly each time she poked him in the chest, glaring at him.

Koru's face hardened again as he growled softly,"You wanna know? You really wanna know? Every time I open a window I feel like I'm not chained to whatever building I'm in, I feel free! And just to feel the wind in my face is enough to give me the strength I need to keep from jumping out of the window and running until I can't run anymore! But it's a stupid reason from a stupid man who made a stupid mistake that never should have been made!"

Yunwei put her paw on his chest and shook her head."It wasn't stupid, Koru. You felt trapped and you needed an outlet. And I'll tell you something else. You are far from stupid, don't say such a thing about yourself."

"Of course I'm stupid. We were searching for spies and I opened a window. How is that not stupid?"

"Stop saying that! Okay, yes, you shouldn't have done it. But you made a mistake! Everybody makes mistakes!", she said, looking into his eyes.

Koru looked back into hers and trembled slightly,"No...no, I have to be perfect. My master would have-"

"Your master is dead, Koru. And he may have raised you to be a heartless killing machine, but I know that that isn't you."

"H-How would you know?", he said, his voice wavering some.

"Well, it's mostly a hunch. But I have an idea of how to find out.", she smiled and leaned up to kiss him, but he panicked and slid from the wall he was at into the corner of the room.

"No. I can't do this...", he said, staring at the floor again.

Yunwei felt tears in her eyes, she also felt another wave of anger in her heart,"Why not?"

"Because you deserve better than a monster like me."

"I thought we were passed this! You are not a monster! And who do you think I deserve that's better than you? A god?", she yelled.

"Yes, that's exactly what you deserve is a god! A god that can take you away from a disaster like me! While I am a perfect killing machine destroying everything around me, you are a perfect healing goddess that shouldn't be bound to such a thing that will probably get you killed! And I cannot bear the thought of you dying, so I would rather you hate me and be your bodyguard than for you to love me and be your reaper!", he shouted.

Yunwei stared into his eyes yet again and searched them for a minute. They were filled with sorrow and fear. But also they were filled with care and longing. She took a step back, and to Koru's relief, she turned around and walked to the door. But then she stopped. And closed the door slowly from the inside. When she turned around he was surprised to see a smile on her face. The wolf walked back to him until she was face to face with him, getting even closer as she pressed against him. He blushed. He was practically out of his arsenal of things to keep her away, so he tried his last weapon he could think of without physically harming her.

"No...stay away, I...I hate you!", he yelled a bit as he backed into the corner again, her advances never ceasing. She blushed and put her paws over his cheeks.

"You might not be as bright as I thought Koru. You kind of just told me you loved me.", she said with a giggle.

"N-No, I didn't!", he said. He panted softly, looking down at her as she leaned even closer. Nothing would stop her this time.

_Maybe...maybe I should let this happen._ he thought._, I mean...I...do I love her? Is that what I'm feeling? But...it feels too weird. Is it supposed to feel painful and pleaurable at the same time? What if I hurt her? She-,_ his thoughts immediately stopped.

Yunwei had pressed her lips into his. She was kissing him. He freaked out inside, but slowly his eyes fluttered shut and he started kissing back. He slowly put his muscular arms around her and pulled her closer. So this is what a kiss was...he liked it. So much so that he began to take control and pressed a little more passionately into the kiss. Yunwei's tail wagged with a lifted leg as she leaned into the kiss. It was finally happening and she couldn't be happier. Or could she?

Yunwei wrapped her arms around the tiger's neck and jumped up to wrap her legs around his waist. Koru's heart began to beat faster than ever as his hormones took control. He slid his paws down to her legs to help support her and he bagan to purr in his throat.

Yunwei broke the kiss slightly and panted a hot breath against his face. Koru remembered later how her breath reminded him of the feeling of a warm summer breeze, but somehow it was even better. Yunwei smiled in her panting and carressed his face, she whispered."You wanna know a secret?"

"Sure,", panted Koru.

"I love you, too. I've loved you since I saw you come through our doorway twenty years ago. Your fur...your eyes...the way you hiccup when you laugh. The way your nose makes a cute scrunchy look when you smell something bad. You're everything to me, Koru. And I want to be your everything...if you'll have me.", she said with pleading eyes.

Koru was at a loss of words. He almost lost his grip on her, but quickly grabbed her rear to keep from dropping her. This snapped him back out of his trance and he panted again, blushing profusely."I...I would love that."

Yunwei beamed at him and kissed him again. She pulled backward and shifted all her weight, hoping he would get the picture. Koru kept up with the kiss, but glanced over at his bed, which was behind her. His face turned from a silver and black to a pure pink with dark red stripes. He allowed her weight to take him down as she landed on the bed diagnally. He kneeled against the edge of the bed and looked down at her.

"Are you sure that...y-you want this? That you want...me?", he asked with uncertainty in his voice.

Yunwei nodded and smiled,"I see only one god in this room, and he's kneeling above me.", she cooed as her paws untied his vest and pulled it down his arms. She blushed as she saw his bare torso. It was rock hard with six pack abs, but they were covered in tiny scars that were mostly visible as the fur had been ripped away with many of the cuts, he had one large scar the size of his paw down the side of his left pectoral.

She traced her finger softly over the largest scar, it was almost deep enough for the tip of her finger to become immersed in it. The wolf looked up at him with almost a look of pity if it wasn't for the feelings of passion that had taken ahold of her. Yunwei leaned up and softly licked the scar, making him shiver. She started licking every scar he had on his chest, giving him the tender and loving attention he had never received that she had been dying to give him since she was fourteen.

Koru bit his lip as he watched her tongue flick at the sensative skin of his past wounds. With each lick he remembered how he got them, every battle, every beating. But in the back of his mind he thanked the scars for being there. He allowed himself to purr again as she licked lower, but with their position she couldn't bend much more.

Yunwei decided to take it further, her paws fidgeted with the waist of his slacks and looked up at him for permission. Koru swallowed a huge lump in his throat.

"Okay...but, I've never done anything like this before. So I'm sorry if...I'm not as good as I should be."

"Koru, I don't care about that. You don't have to be perfect with me.", she said before slowly shifting under him so that her stomach was now directly under him. She pulled down his slacks to reveal his erection that fell and suspended itself in the air infront of her. Her cheeks turned pink as she gazed at it. It wasn't huge, but it was certainly, most definitely large enough to her liking. Unlike Po or the two tigers, she herself had had past relationships and knew about the process of a sexual encouter. She began to stroke his dick slowly while licking at the tip. The taste of it aroused her even more as she closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation on her tongue.

Koru moaned and put his paws over her shoulders as he bagan to rub tenderly. He had heard that female's enjoyed being massaged like this, and he wished to make her feel as good as she was making him feel. But that would soon be impossible as Yunwei took the head into her mouth and continued to rub her tongue over the underside when she began to move her head back and forth slowly.

Yunwei's tail was going nuts. Even though she was laying on it, it was still wiggling around like it was on fire under her back. She blushed embarrassedly at her involuntary action but continued to lick and suck.

"Yunwei...p-please stop...", whimpered Koru. He had never sounded or felt so weak in his life. What scared him however was how much he liked it. Yunwei obliged and looked up at him with a frown.

"Why? Are you not enjoying it? I-I thought I was doing a good job..."

"That's just it, it was _too _good...I almost...I don't know what I almost did, but there was a pressure inside me. It-It felt strange...", he muttered, blushing at his own ignorance. He felt so stupid just then. But Yunwei had a look of glee on her face at his words.

"Don't worry Koru, that's a good thing. Just let it happen.", she whispered before continuing her task.

Koru nodded,"Alr-r-right...", he started to pant again as the pressure began to build up once again. He leaned down and pressed his paws on the bed, causing Yunwei to have to lean back as his dick slid in her mouth more at his move. She blushed again and kept up her pace."Uh...uhm, it's...that pressure is coming again...", he said. Yunwei's lips smiled around his member and she moved her mouth faster. Koru shot open his eyes and gasped when he felt his first release. Yunwei moaned as his seed filled her mouth. She swallowed eagerly with ruby cheeks from the taste.

Koru panted and allowed a small smile to form on his face,"Whoa..."

Yunwei giggled as she licked her lips,"You liked it, huh? You want that feeling again?"

The tiger nodded. She giggled again and slid up to him to meet him face to face."Good, because you haven't done me yet.", she said, she took his paws in hers and led them to her breasts. Koru started to massage them as softly as he did with her shoulders, causing Yunwei to flinch,"K-Koru, just...a little softer, okay?", Koru winced an apology and tried to be a soft as he could with his great strength. He wasn't used to having to be gentle and he certainly wasn't used to feeling something as soft and supple as this.

Yunwei relaxed and smiled up at him as he was being gentler by the second. Soon she bagan to moan and press her breasts into his paws. She rested her head on the bed and slowly rubbed the fabric over her midsection. After a few minutes of this, she noticed that Koru began to get a little soft. She reached down and started to stroke him gently. Koru moaned and leaned down to kiss her, but once he did he grimaced slightly as the taste of her mouth had changed. But he decided to try and get past it for the girl he loved. So he deepened the kiss. The different taste wasn't so bad as it first was. It wasn't good, but it was repulsive either. Eventually her carressing of his dick made him hard again.

Yunwei decided that she wasn't going to wait any longer. So she pulled down her blue slacks and tossed them away to reveal her pink see through panties to him. She then removed his paws from her breasts and pulled off her tank top, which was the only thing she had that wasn't long sleeved so she wouldn't burn up in the non snowy part of the country. The wolf blushed as he stared at her almost entirely naked body. His fur bristled in excitement when her paws slid her panties down to expose her pink clit.

"Y-Yunwei, would it make you feel good if I licked you there? Like you did for me?", Koru asked. Yunwei nodded and spread her legs out for him with a smile spread acrossed her face. Koru leaned down and began to lick at her soft pink. He moaned at the smell and made no indication that he was going to move away from the spot. Yunwei moaned and pressed her palm on top of his head. Her reaction made Koru feel happy. Not a common feeling for him to have. He wanted to keep feeling it. The tiger licked more and growled softly in lust at the taste of her.

The wolf writhed in pleasure at the feeling and rubbed her breast with one paw while carressing the patterns on Koru's head with the other. After a while, her pleasure heightened and she started to pant."Koru...okay, it's time you...claimed me.."

Koru blushed and sat up, his dick still rigid from the arousing taste of her area. He put his paws on her hips and slowly slid himself inside. The two moaned until Koru had buried his member inside her completely. He started moving his hips slowly. He couldn't believe it. He was actually having sex. And with her...the girl he was afraid of all these years. The girl that he became obsessed over. The one who always had a smile for him. There was no way he would stop until he released.

Koru humped her faster, and Yunwei moaned louder. She rubbed her paws over his chest and bit her tongue to keep from screaming his name. It did not however hinder a whimper in pleasure that escaped her lips. After ten minutes of his movements inside her, she could stand it no longer and finally she gave up,"Koru! I'm almost there, keep it up!", she panted.

He did as his lover told and went even faster. To his surprise she released first with a howl of pleasure, but not for long as she literally constriced herself around his erection. Koru moved faster and faster until he came inside her with a loud moan.

They stayed in their position panting. Sweat was now dripping from their bodies as Koru leaned down and kissed her again.

"That was fantastic...p-please tell me we can do it again later on?", Koru whispered hopefully. Yunwei licked his cheek.

"Of course, lover.", she giggled. Koru smiled wide and hugged her gently.

Downstairs everyone except for Mantis was sitting at the table eating lunch. Viper rubbed her head with the end of her tail and sighed.

"Well, they finally went through with it."

"Yeah, but we _all _heard _that _one.", murmured Monkey before slurping some of his noodles.

"You would think that we'd have gotten used to it by now, but...it's never not going to be awkward, is it?", groaned Tigress.

"Yeah if we all live together in the new house, we've gotta find a way to make the rooms so that sound couldn't come out.", said Po before gulping down his broth.

Jiu-Ne was too busy scarfing down Po's noodles to comment, otherwise she would have made an orgy joke. However she did try to say something through her stuffed cheeks, but it was in vain as all that came out was a mumble of nonsense.

"Oookayyyy, duely noted. So what should we do about these spies?", asked Po.

"First of all we need to make sure that we've got the king off our backs before we take on the Emporer. That has to be the most disrespectful thing I've ever said.", said Tigress as she reflected on her statement with a wince.

Crane chuckled,"Yeah. But you're right. What should we do, Po?"

Po sighed,"Okay, but this is starting to give me a headache. I need a nap after this.", he closed his eyes as the glowed brightly. They then faded as he groaned and rubbed his temples."Okay. That's not bad. We take naps in shifts to get ready to stay up tonight. At night fall Crane, Viper, Mantis, Tigress, and I will go to the king's court. Crane will be there incase we need to write up a contract. Viper will be there for diplomatic purposes since her father is a somewhat well known king, and Mantis because...well, Viper I'm sure you won't want to leave his side no matter what I tell you."

Viper chuckled."Nope."

"Wait Po, are you sure about this? I mean, even with Koru and Shiro here you and Tigress are our two best fighters! We need at least one of you here to help out in case the king has his men attack us.", said Monkey, oblivious to Jiu-Ne's obsession.

"Yes, Po, you can't go. I need protection.", said Jiu-Ne, almost pouting. Both Tigress and Song growled softly and Viper kept herself from hissing.

Po blinked in confusion."Well, I guess there's no reason for both of us to go."

"Then I'll stay.", said Tigress sternly as she stood up at the table, leaning her paws on it's surface. Jiu-Ne scowled.

"But Po's got a headache, and he shouldn't be thinking too hard.", said Jiu-Ne.

"I'm sure the nap would do him good, mother.", said Tigress in almost a hissing tone.

"Will your Master's Eye hurt anymore tonight?", asked Crane.

"It shouldn't. But maybe I should stay. I really need to find a way to open the Dragon Scroll anyway. Besides, Tigress, you're freaking awesome when it comes to politics!", Po said enthusiastically.

Tigress sighed heavily and shot Song a look, which Song returned with an understanding nod.

"Fine. Po, Shiro, Song, go take your naps. And tell Yunwei and Koru what's going on. If they aren't asleep already.", Tigress stated."The rest of us, and I mean _all _of us, will go into the back yard and see if we can't set up any traps for intruders.", she glared at her mother as she emphasised the word. Po, Shiro and Song all nodded and went upstairs, Po giving Tigress a kiss before leaving the table.

Jiu-Ne watched Po leave and purred softly. Tigress and Viper hissed at her. Crane and Monkey just looked at each other as if asking each other,

"_What the hell is going on?_"


	26. Chapter 26: The Cold Shoulder Of Fire

Chapter 26: The Cold Shoulder Of Fire

Po was completely still in his sleep. He would normally roll around a little when he was sleeping alone, but his body, without his knowledge, had become paralyzed. He was almost in a hyponotized state in his sleep, if that made any sense. Images of arriving at the Valley of Peace filled his mind as he ran past tents and wooden shacks that had replaced the stone buildings of the village. When he glanced at the spot where his dad's noodle shop should have been, he saw a pig and a goose playing Mahjong, they both looked very nervous. Po then came rushing up the stairs of the Jade Palace, running faster and faster. He thought it strange that he wasn't getting tired, but then again it was a dream. He kept running until he finally reached the top, the doors swinging open. Then there was nothing but a white light.

Seconds later, the light dispersed and he found himself training with a young Oogway in the freshly laid stone of the Jade Palace arena. They were sparring. As Po swung a blurry paw at Master Oogway, Oogway swirled around and allowed the paw to be deflected and slide along the turtle's shell. The turtle then finished his circle and gave Po a strike with the back of his fist, causing him to fall back with a groan. He rubbed his cheek where Oogway had struck him, and was surprised to feel whiskers on his face. Po looked down at his paw. It was tan, and large. But it was...sleeker? And his claws were gone, but he could still feel them.

Po looked up at Oogway, who was chuckling under his breath. He held out his claws to Po, who accepted them as he was helped up.

"Master, wh-", he stopped himself to reflect on the sound of his voice. It was no longer filled with a boyish sense of excitement. It was instead deeper and...for lack of a better term, silkier."Master, what is going on?"

"Po, you are currently in a memory that I have opened up for you. It is the day that I introduced you to Seikaku as Yogan. And I had hoped that perhaps with this one memory unlocked inside you, you would be able to figure out how to open the Scroll again. Do you remember what I told you before?"

"Yes, Master. You said that I would have to open the Dragon Scroll by remembering the first time I met Tigress when I was chosen as the Dragon Warrior. But I've had so much trouble, because when I first met her I was completely confused because of your decision. The confusion, the excitement, the shallow happiness of being given the most prestigous title ever. I don't know where one emotion ends and another begins! It's so frustrating!", Po yelled as he punched into the concrete below him.

"Now Po, I _just _had that tiling finished.", said Oogway with an almost teasing tone in his voice.

"Oh, sorry Master.", replied Po as he straightened up.

Oogway chuckled,"It is fine Po, it is only a memory. Now Po, Seikaku is about to come out of the Training Hall and meet me here so we may discuss matters of importance about the building of the town. Do not feel bad when you find her attractive, Po. For she is only Tigress in another form. But I need you to keep your mind at peace and allow your thoughts to flow through. If you do this, you will allow the memory to be played out just as it should be. And you will finally remember."

Po nodded and did his Inner Peace stance with a sigh, his left leg slid over the smooth stone with his calloused foot. He straightened up once more, then opened his eyes when he heard a deep yet feminine voice float infront of him. His cheeks turned red, thank the gods that his fur was tan to somewhat hide his blush.

"Oogway, I was just thinking, what should we do about the farmers that wished to start laying seeds in the east? It is good land, but it might be in constant danger as it is close to the musician's new habitat, and they will likely have many parties.", the dragon said. She was a blue scaled dragon with pearl white whiskers that were as long as Yogan. Her entire body length was large enough to almost imitate the stone dragon in the Dragon Grotto. Her underbelly scales were tan, but they sparkled like diamonds in the light of the sun. Her eyes were a deep scarlet, like the inside of a dormant volcano that could be ready to erupt at any moment. She had six legs, all of them sleek yet muscular. Her claws shined a brilliant jet black. She had soft, small white feathers like a goose that started from the back of her head to the end of her tail as it surrounded it into almost a fan shape. Her fangs were silvery white. And finally her head was adorned with sharpened yet polished antlers.

"That is a good point, Seikaku. We could probably put them in the north. There is plenty of room.", Oogway replied. Seikaku nodded, and was about to take flight when Oogway stopped her."Er, Seikaku, before you go I would like for you to meet Yogan here. He has finally found the truth as we have.", said Oogway as he put a clawed hand onto Yogan's back with a pat, causing the tiger to wobble forward infront of the Dragon nervously.

The Dragon eyed Yogan, surprised that she hadn't noticed him before. She was able to sense anything and everything around her. Why couldn't she sense him? This scared her a little and she narrowed her eyes at Yogan.

"Ah I see. So what is your art?", she asked. Her whiskers curled infront of her cheeks. This would normally be a sign of aggression to her kind, but she was simply trying to hide her now purple cheeks when she saw the tiger. He was taller than most tigers. He had large muscular arms and a toned torso. His red vest with gold inseam had no buttons or strings to keep it closed since it was so worn, so it hung open to allow his abdominals to show, which were flat and muscular as well. His long legs were covered with gray rag like slacks and he wore no sandles or shoes at all. His eyes were a beautiful shade of green, it was like looking into the forests which she had cared for as a youngling. His ears were triangular, but they had little white tufts on the tips. His tail was long and striped like the rest of his body, but the very end of his tail was black. The patterns that adorned his forehead were blocked by a rain hat filled with holes which his ears stuck out of, but when the tiger took a nervous bow, it fell off. The pattern was like little whisps of fog swirling over an unlit candle.

Yogan blushed more as his hat fell and he quickly attempted to pick it up, only to trip and fall flat on his face. He got up to his feet and did his best to avert her gaze. If she was anything like she is was when Po first met Tigress, he was about to be insulted.

"I-I'm studying metallurgy.", Yogan stuttered.

Seikaku scoffed."This is his art? Nothing like that belongs here. This is a place for warriors, not craftsmen."

Yogan winced,"That's...that's true. But I would be honored if you trained me. If...you would have me.", he bowed again, his hat staying on this time as his ears had flattened against his head and acted like latches.

Seikaku snorted through her large nostrils."Fine, but I will not be going easy on you, _tiger_!", she spat. She then turned to Oogway with an annoyed, yet calm look,"Oogway, is it fine with you if I go down to the encampment and direct the farmers now?"

Oogway nodded, and she flew towards the Palace doors.

"Big fan...", called out Yogan sheepishly. Seikaku stopped for a second after opening the doors, turned around and glared at the tiger for a minute. Then she whipped around again and went down the stairs.

Yogan sighed."Guess I messed up, huh?"

"No, Po, you did not. You see, that was exactly what happened word for word. Even though Tigress was a Dragon she was still a hostile and feirce woman. And you, though you were a tiger, were still clumsy and unrefined when you two met. Do you remember it now Po?"

Po was staring at the first step of the Thousand Steps, not looking at him.

"Po?", said Oogway, before a smile formed on his face after Po would not reply.

"Yogan?", he now said. Po perked his ears up and looked at Oogway.

"Huh? Wh-what?"

"You have started to remember. Good. Remember this feeling Po. Or should I say Yogan. And open the Dragon Scroll. With your memories returned, you and Tigress' abilities will be amplified from the wisdom of past experiences. And you will be a force to be reckoned with."

Po nodded and gave his decades away signature smirk before bowing."Thank you, Master."

Po then awoke to the sound of growling as he sat up, he felt rejuvinated yet invigorated at the same time, which was odd since he had just slept a few hours. He looked around the room as the feint moonlight came through the doorways to the veranda. He saw two tigers in the room and a snow leopardess in the corner with her arms crossed leaning against the wall. One tiger was pinning the other against the wall adjacent to the bed. The other was half naked and panting. Po blinked,"Whoa, what's going on?"

"We were in the backyard setting up traps and I had mother to set a trap under the window. I didn't realize it was _our _window until I noticed she was gone.", Tigress replied, never taking her eyes off of Jiu-Ne.

"What's the big deal, so she's in our room?", said Po.

Tigress sighed and closed her eyes, keeping ahold of Jiu-Ne's shoulders,"Look under the covers, Po. Notice anything...different?"

Po lifted the covers and blushed. He was erect and his member, as well as his inner thighs, were quite wet. He quickly pulled up his shorts that were around his ankles and got out of bed, looking at Jiu-Ne angrily,"So you were...oh god, I didn't actually-"

"No, I came in before she finished. For the love of god, Po, how tired could you be?", she asked almost shouting.

"Master Oogway had me in a trance to help with our demon problem. I doubt if even Oogway knew that _this _was going to happen.."Po grimaced and sighed."Two things are gonna happen right now. I'm gonna go downstairs after I settle down, then you two are going to have a little chat. A real chat Tigress, don't just beat her ass."

Tigress snarled,"Fine.", she let go of Jiu-Ne as she dressed herself.

After she was dressed, Jiu-Ne kept her head bowed,"Sorry."

"It's not that easy, Jiu-Ne.", spat Tigress.

"I didn't think it would be. But-"

"What is wrong with you? This is my fiancee!", yelled Tigress with tears in her eyes."Do you have no shame? Why would you do this to me, your own daughter!"

Po, who had settled down some, hugged Tigress as she sobbed into his chest.

Po glared at Jiu-Ne and scowled,"You know, part of me wants to say 'why me'. I keep getting all these girls excited around me. But I'm not the real victim. Though it hurts me, it hurts Tigress the most. She has _never _opened her heart up to anyone aside from me. You hurt her when you left her at Bao Gu, Jiu-Ne, you hurt her real bad. And now you come in and have the audacity to pull something like this after we rescued you. Now after I leave, you and her are going to talk. She is going to ask you as many questions as she wants and you are going to answer them truthfully. But I can't let you hurt her anymore. So after this deal is made with the king, I want you out of here. You may come back after the baby is born to see just how much better a mother Tigress is than you."

Song let out a satisfied chuckle under her breath. It was like he had just mentally beaten the witch to a pulp.

Jiu-Ne just stared at the floor and nodded, a slight whimper escaping her lips. She slid down to the floor and gripped her knees as she sat in a slightly varied version of the Lotus Position.

Po kissed Tigress softly,"Are you alright, Mai Tai?"

Tigress nodded and sighed as she wiped her tears,"Yes. Now go and try to open the Dragon Scroll again.", Po hugged her again before walking out of the door, shutting it behind him.

Viper met Po outside the door as he stopped her from going inside,"Trust me, you don't want to get into the middle of that conversation."

"I know, but I had a question for you."

"Yeah, what's that?", blinked Po.

Viper sighed in annoyance at her question. It was so stupid. But she was too curious for her own good as she slithered down the hall beside Po."Is there such a thing as catnip cologne?"

Po laughed softly,"Yep."

Viper's eyes widened,"Seriously? You don't use it, do you?"

"No, of course not. Though I did try it once."

"When?", she asked as they stopped at the top of the stairs.

"Last year. My dad gave it to me as a joke after that whole Song fiasco. He said that any feline would fall for me if I used it. So I tried it."

"And you used it on Tigress?", she asked while eyeing him.

"Yeah. It worked like a charm. She was really tired one day after training, so I just decided to go up to her room and started rubbing her back. Catnip worked great, she didn't even complain. Except for some reason she asked if I had finished making cookies or something."

Viper blinked,"Coo...kies?", she then bursted out laughing uncontrollably as tears left her eyes.

"What?", Po looked at the snake as if she was about to jump up and bite him.

"P-Pohohoho! I remember that dayheheheeheehe! You were wearing vanilla extract! Your dad tricked youhoohoo!", she kept giggling as she covered her mouth with the end of her tail.

Po blushed and facepalmed,"Ugh. Dad...", he sighed,"Okay, okay, you've had your fun, just don't tell anyo-", he looked beside him to look at Viper, but she wasn't there. In the distance she heard laughing coming from downstairs."Oh, no...", he walked downstairs to face the group's laughter.

He made his way downstairs as everyone started giggling and snickering. Shiro, who had only needed an hour more of sleep since he had napped already, was sitting in one of the arm chairs with his legs dangling off of the side. He laughed and held his side as his mocking laughter echoed up the roaring fireplace.

Po scowled and sat on the couch where he had left his bag and pulled out the Dragon Scroll again. As he started to work on the scroll for another few minutes, he twisted it with all his might. To his surprise, it budged."Yes!", he quickly opened the cylinder and opened the scroll. It was blank again like before, but it began to glow feintly in the firelight as his face was infront of it. But it wasn't his face. Well it _was _his face, Yogan's face. Yogan smiled at him and gave him a nod before a green mist bursted through the golden paper and into Po's body as a red mist shot up the stairs.

Po panted as all of his memories came flooding back to him. He dropped the scroll and kneeled on the floor.

"Po, what happened, are you okay?", asked Monkey in a panicky voice after seeomg what had just happened to his friend.

"Yes, but stay away for a minute!", said...well they weren't sure who it was. Po's voice was there, but it was acommpanied by another voice, a voice that was deeper. Po straightened up and breathed in before sighing. He ran to the stairs in the blink of an eye, meeting Tigress in the hallway. They looked at each other and smiled.

"Seikaku.", said Po.

"Yogan.", said Tigress, her voice accompanied with Seikaku's.

The two hugged each other in a tight embrace.

"This is so strange...", Tigress said with a chuckle as she rubbed her furry cheek against Po's fluffy neck.

"Yes, it is...", smirked Po.

Tigress then hit him in the shoulder.

Po chuckled and rubbed his shoulder."I'm sure I deserved it, but what was that for?"

"For letting Moeru rape you, of course.", she said with a raised brow.

"Ah, yeah. Sorry.", he smiled apologetically. Just then everyone, even Koru and Yunwei came into the hallway from hearing the strange voices.

"What the hell just happened?", yelled Song."Jiu-Ne just told you about your dad and you just...disappeared!"

"Well, to make a long story short, Po and I are Yogan and Seikaku. Our souls laid dormant until Po opened the Dragon Scroll again and now our memories are back as well as our fighting experience and knowledge.", said Tigress, their strange voices fading slowly the more they spoke. But their voices formed altogether new ones, as if their past lives and current ones were truly merging. Tigress' voice was now soft, yet stern no matter how she tried to speak.

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.", Shiro laughed, Song gave him a disapproving look.

"Would you like for me to prove it, young one?", asked Po, Po's voice had become silky and deep, but his enthusiam still rang in his tone.

"Sure thing, _Yogan_. If you can beat me in tiger style I'll believe you.", Shiro stated mockingly.

The snow leopard didn't have much of a chance to even turn around to escape his beating as Po appeared literally within a blink of Shiro's eye right infront of him instead of just down the hall from his and Song's room. Po put in a series of almost unwatchable palm strikes with his left paw alone into Shiro's chest and stomach. Before Shiro could even think about what was happening, he had been knocked back onto the bed in a daze.

Everyone watched Po with their jaws dropped. But Tigress grabbed Jiu-Ne's paw and took her back into her and Po's room and shutting the door behind them as everyone else was too busy admiring Po's new talents."Alright. So you and father had been attacked by a massive bandit army in our village. Father sacrificed himself to allow us to get away. What happened then?"

"I...I took you as far away as I could, Hei-wa. Near the third day when I was being persued, I spotted an orphanage. I had to gotten some distance between us and the army, so I left you there. I'm so sorry, Tigress, for everything!", Jiu-Ne finished her speech with tears in her eyes.

"I wish that I could believe you. But what you have done tonight...I don't know if I can ever forgive you, Jiu-Ne. But...perhaps...if my power has completely returned...", Tigress studied Jiu-Ne's eyes for a moment then she placed a paw on Jiu-Ne's forehead and breathed in slowly while closing her eyes. In an instant, Tigress could feel all of the older feline's hardships. How she travelled here to lead the rest of the army of bandits away from her daughter, how she had to do unseemly acts to get inside the city and survive, the countless rapings that occured and the merciless beatings she received when she would not cooperate to earn enough money to eat that night. And how she literally slept on the streets for most of Tigress' life alone in grief of her late husband's death.

Tigress pulled her paw away as tears found her now pity filled eyes,"I...I had no idea..."

Jiu-Ne's face softened even more as she whimpered again, she visibly shook and turned her head away and shut her eyes tight to avoid her daughter's gaze,"I-I'm sorry...I'm so sorry, I have no excuse for my behavior. I know that I've been a horrible mother and I do not deserve to know you. But...I am begging you now. Please...", Jiu-Ne trembled in her stance as her tears dropped onto the floor,"Please don't send me away...I promise you I'll behave...",

Tigress bit her lip as it quivered under her scrunched up face. Her mother had become a whore after all these years. And it was truly a terrible life she had led. But she had done it to keep her daughter safe and suffered through it all. And now that they had found each other, was Tigress really willing to send this woman away after what she had seen in her mother's mind?

Tigress felt her tears drop from the corners of her eyes to her cheeks, running down her fur until they reached her whiskers and splattered on the wood below.

"M-m-mama...", was all that Tigress managed to stutter. The older tiger raised her head to look at her daughter and held back a sob, wanting to be sure that she was truly being accepted by Tigress. She got her answer when Tigress hugged her and sobbed into her shoulder. Tigress was a little taller than Jiu-Ne, so it was slightly awkward, but Jiu-Ne still kept the embrace and cried happily from being called such a emotionally close term. She stroked the fur on the back of her daughter's head and let out little 'shhhs' imbetween her own sobs. She could not help it as a smile formed on her face.

"You've no idea...how much my heart has ached to see you again, Hei-Wa. Every day I prayed that I would one day find you. And here I go and mess it all up. Now your male has banished me from you. How poetic.", sniffled Jiu-Ne bitterly.

"I will talk to Po, mama.", replied Tigress as she tried to regain her composure to some extent."He will be upset, but after I explain perhaps he will forgive you. He has always had such a pure heart."

"You chose well, Hei-Wa.", Jiu-Ne sighed,"And again I am sorry. But men with power get me excited. I cannot help myself. Ever since Ko-Ri died, I...I felt an emptiness that I could never fulfill..."

Tigress' eyes narrowed."Ko-Ri? That was father's name?"

Jiu-Ne nodded."Yes. Our village was made up of mainly immigrants from another land, and in time our language adapted into Chinese. And it became traditional to have names such as ours. Ko-Ri was so named because of his cold looking exterior, ever since he was a boy he had a look about him that would send a chill up your spine."

"Mama...I am sorry to ask you this, but...did you ever become pregnant again? By another tiger?", asked Tigress. Her emotions had subsided into complete curiosity.

"Yes, once. That tore my soul apart when he took the child. I had heard that he decided to raise the child in the mountains away from cities like these.", Jiu-Ne let another sigh pass her lips as she shook her head."I never even got to see if it was a boy or a girl. Or what it even looked like...", she blushed softly as her stomach grumbled a bit.

Tigress smiled softly."I think that there are some left over noodles downstairs, mother. I suppose our emotional conquest has left us with full hearts but empty stomachs. Come on, lets go.", Tigress said before turning around and opening the door. She walked out and down the hall as Jiu-Ne followed her. Jiu-Ne walked down the steps as Tigress stopped and smiled at the group as they watched Po show off his new powers a little. But then her smile faded some when she looked at Koru. She studied him for a minute, then looked at the floor.

The female tiger decided to continue to follow her mother downstairs. If she was right, then their confrontation would have to wait. Tigress was too emotionally exausted to say anything right now. But all throughout the meal, and even as the others joined the two, Tigress could not help but ponder and ponder as she continually glanced back and forth across the table.

Jiu-Ne.

Koru.

Jiu-Ne.

Koru.

Jiu-Ne...

Ko-Ri...


	27. Chapter 27: The Devil's Contract

Chapter 27: The Devil's Contract

After the group ate the leftover noodles and the fresh dumplings Po had made, Tigress, Crane, Viper and Mantis decided it was best to leave for the King's Palace immediately because, according to Tigress, it was going to rain soon. Mantis was still a little groggy, but he was able to hop around like he normally would, and he could stand a little fresh air.

The four quietly slipped out of the front door as a soft breeze allowed a shroud of gray to drift lazily over the city, thunder ominously echoing in the distance. Tigress' eyes, though they were able to see in the dark before, were allowing her to sense body heat signatures due to Seikaku's training to sense others. This talent was put to good use, they avoided every potentially peering eye within the safety of shadows casted by the ever waning moonlight as the clouds came closer and closer to the great lantern of the night.

The small task force flew over the Inner Wall that surrounded the main palace in a blind spot of the watch towers that surrounded the palace. After the area was out of the guard's rotation of eyesight when the rhinos patrolled around the beige bricked building, the four rushed from behind the bushes at the foot of the Inner Wall and up to the exterior wall of the palace itself. They would not have enough time to simply climb up, unless they wished to feel the many arrows of the archers awaiting at the surrounding towers. So Crane grabbed Viper and Mantis, flew up to the veranda of the king's bedchambers to drop them off, and flew back down to get Tigress. He took off a second time just as the guards turned around the corner to find nothing but the waving grass that carpeted Tigress' feet only seconds ago.

Once they landed on the man made cliffside, Tigress cracked open the doors and looked inside the black ink filled room to see if the king was inside yet. He was. In fact, he was already asleep. Tigress walked in slowly, followed by Viper and Mantis, and Crane parted from the other three to turn on a small lantern in the far side of the room, giving little light but enough for he himself to see the paper before him.

The king was a young black panther. He could not have been much older than Song. His fur was very soft to the touch when Tigress grabbed him by the throat after he inhaled, and his eyes were a golden yellow that sparkled in the moonlight when he awoke.

He tried to scream, but Tigress had gripped his throat so tightly that his windpipe had closed.

"Now I'm going to let you breathe, King Hogoneipai, but you're going to have to promise me not to scream. If you do you will die. Understand?", whispered Tigress through her pearl like fangs, glaring down at him with the slits of her almost glowing eyes. The panther nodded slightly as his body writhed in desperation for air, gripping her arm and trying to pull it away in vain. Tigress let go of his throat and he took in a few deep breaths, coughing slightly.

"What d-do you want with me?", he asked in a hushed tone while rubbing his throat. He sat up as he swung his feet around to meet the floor.

"First I want you to tell the guards outside your door that you want them to go home. Tell them you're having a girl sent up to your room and do not wish to be distrubed.", said Tigress.

The panther blushed and nodded as he stood. Tigress led him to the door and she maintained a good grip on the scruff of his neck as he poked his head out of the door to the hall.

"Uh guys, go ahead on home okay? I can't sleep so I'm going to have a woman brought up to help me take care of the problem, if you know what I mean.", the panther said with a wink. The rhinos chuckled and nodded at him before leaving. Tigress pulled the panther back inside and shut the door, flinging him onto the floor as she stood over him threateningly.

"Good. Now you are going to sign an order stating that Jiu-Ne, the tiger you were supposed to execute tommorow, is to be set free. And that those who helped her escape are not to be bothered.", said the tiger.

"You mean she's safe? Thank the gods.", he replied in a sigh of relief.

Tigress eyed him as did Viper from the mattress. Mantis had fallen back to sleep on the king's bed. Crane was writing up the contract at the king's study in one corner of his massive room.

"So you did not order her execution?", Tigress asked, still eyeing him to search for any signs of falsehood.

"No, I did not. I was grateful for the affection, never having mated before. In fact, if you hadn't strangled me to wake me up I would have tried to kiss you. You look a lot like her...", the panther said with a blush that was not seen under his black cheeks.

A quiet, yet annoyed growl rumbled from Tigress' throat,"Jiu-Ne is my mother. So if you did not order her execution, then who did?"

"My advisors. They're the ones who really run this place..."

"So you're just a figurehead...", sighed Viper.

The panther jumped slightly as he just now noticed the snake, but then nodded and looked away in shame as the splatters of rain outside began to interuppt the quiet sound of silence that was present in the room. The moonlight that graced their presence through the doors of the veranda had now vanished and the only source of light was the lantern that Crane had hanging from the hook on the wall above the desk he had been using. But now that light moved from the hook to his beak as Crane slowly walked across the room towards them.

"It's not like I asked to be king or something. I only became king because my father disappeared during a military campaign to the Western end of China.", he said, glancing back at Crane when he noticed the only remaining light in the room.

"Who was he campaigning against?", asked Tigress, but she already knew the answer.

"I never caught a name. It was something about a river monster or spring demon...?"

"The Demon of the Fountain.", stated Tigress.

"Yeah, that's it!", said the panther, who was sounding uncharicteristically enchusiastic in the surrounding darkness, though his soft smile vanished when the lantern's light slowly revealed the hardened yet contemplative face of Tigress.

"Hm. Well advisors or no advisors, you are still king. And as the king your signature is honor bound to be obeyed. Now here,",she took the contract as Crane presented it to her and held it infront of the young king."Sign this and we will leave you alone. For now."

"But I don't want you to leave me alone. Take me with you!", he said.

Tigress sighed and rolled her eyes,"I am flattered, but I have a mate already and that will not change."

"Oh. I apologize, then.", his ears lowered."But yes, I will gladly sign it if it is to help out that beautiful woman.", he took a brush from Crane and signed his name at the bottom. He blinked as he read a few sentences,"You want me to pay for guarded avian transport to and from the Valley of Peace?"

Tigress glared at Crane as the bird put the lantern out, not wanting to meet Tigress' death glare.

"I apologize for my comrade here. We will leave you now.", Tigress turned her back on the king and walked towards the veranda, followed by Crane, and Viper who was carrying Mantis.

"Wait! Will I ever see you again?", the panther asked while standing up.

The tiger stopped in her tracks and turned around to face the king out of the little respect she had for him, "It is not my place to say when, but we will return soon. During the daylit hours.", stated Tigress. She rolled up the contract and tucked it into her vest, her yellow eyes somehow glowing in the darkness.

"Who's place is it?", blinked the panther.

"My mate Po Ping, the Dragon Warrior.", she replied before the tiger flung herself around and jumped off of the veranda as Crane had now flown off, preparing for the weight of Tigress. He winced when she latched on, but flew off into the darkness back to the Dragon Palace. Their sillouettes were practically invisible in the black rain as the bird soared acrossed the grounds of the villas until lowering towards the roof of their home, but as they were making their desent Tigress let go and rolled as she landed on the ground and bursted through the front door. She ended up in a crouched version of her defensive stance as she looked around with a growl in her throat.

Po, Koru, and Shiro all looked at her from where they sat around the fire.

"Hun, you okay?", asked Po while getting up to walk to her.

Tigress stood up. Her whiskers twitched with confusion."I could smell blood."

"Oh, you mean them? Yeah, they didn't last too long.", chuckled Po as he pointed over his shoulder to the pile of bloody bodies in the back yard which could be seen from the glass doors of the back exit.

Tigress narrowed her eyes."You killed them?"

"Yeah we had to, unfortunately.", replied Po while putting an arm around her. Crane had now swooped in through the front door with Viper and Mantis on his back. Po closed the door behind them as he continued"They started cutting at us. They were here to assassinate, not just recapture. But Dr. Kimeru got a little scratch-"

"It was no little scratch, she's having to have stitches in her arm!", roared Koru.

"Aaand Koru went a little haywire.", Po said while eventually reverting his gaze from the angry Koru to Tigress.

"I see..."Tigress nodded,"Where are the others?"

"They're in the kitchen.", yawned Po."Did you get the contract signed?"

"Yes we did. And I think we can all finally get some sleep. But just in case, Shiro, you're keeping watch tonight."

"Why?", Shiro replied with an angry whine.

"Probably because you slept most of the day?", said Song through her fangs when she gently bit Shiro's ear as Monkey, Jiu-Ne, and Yunwei came out of the kitchen after her. His ear flicked in her grasp.

"Gee, thanks for helping.", Shiro said sarcastically.

"No prob.", yawned Song as she, along with everyone else except Shiro, went upstairs to bed.

As Po and Tigress entered their room, Tigress noticed how Po had already shut the door to the veranda and lit some candles so that he at least could see. She stretched out after putting the contract on their dresser. Po took off his vest, which had become quite comfortable on him over the past couple days, and laid down in bed with a happy groan. Tigress took off her own vest as well as her slacks and laid down next to him on his right with a similar groan.

"My feet are killing me. I thought I wasn't supposed to get swollen ankles until about the fourth month of pregnancy.", she said. Po chuckled and sat up as he took one of her feet in his paws and began to carress it with his thumbs and fingers, which made Tigress moan under her breath."Hun, you really don't need to do that. But I'm damn glad that you are...", the tiger stretched out in relaxation on the large mattress, something she rarely ever did.

"Well you've been putting up with a lot lately, dear. Both the good and the bad. The pregnancy, our engagment, you finding your mom, your mom attempting to rape me-"

"You acting like the idiot you are on a daily basis..."

"Now that one _has _to be under the good list.", teased Po with a smirk.

Tigress giggled a bit."Uhhh huh. But you bring up something we have to talk about, Po.", she sighed.

"Hm?", Po was looking at her, but he was more focused on massaging her feet at the moment than listening to her.

"Now I know this is going to be hard for you sweetie, but...I think you should forgive my mom.", she flinched slightly as Po accidently gripped her foot too hard at her words.

"Excuse me? Did I just hear those words come out of your mouth or...", he asked through confused and squinted eyes as he spun his paws over each other in a reeling gesture.

"She's had a rough life, Po. I've seen it. And she deserves a second chance.", she sat up to look at him.

"Sorry, but I would have figured her second chance was when we saved her from the freakin execution!", said Po as he raised his voice slightly.

Tigress laid her ears back. She should have waited until after he finished massaging her feet.

"Like I said Po, I know it must be hard bu-"

"Oh yeah I'm _sure _you know how hard it is for me!", he said sarcastically."Do you realize how psycologically devastating this was?"

"It's not like you felt anything...", murmured Tigress.

"Oh so that makes it alright."

Tigress growled softly,"This hasn't been a stroll in the park for me either, you know!"

"Yeah well when my dad has you in the same position I was in then maybe you can grasp it a little more accurately!"

"Damn it, Po, just trust me on this, please!", Tigress yelled.

"I trust you, Tigress, you know that!"

"Then why won't you give her a second chance?". she hollered.

"Because I love you and I don't want her anywhere near you or our child and if you don't give a damn about yourself then at least give a damn about our kid! I mean my god, Tigress, what the fuck does she have over you now? Is she holding some info hostage or some shi-", he was interupted in his rant as Tigress jumped up and pressed her paw into his forehead gently. Her eyes glowed red slightly as she passed on her mother's memories to Po and made him feel every bit of it. Before she was finished, Po was trembling as his eyes darted around infront of her, but in his head they were trying to take in all the information of disgust and pain. She pulled back her paw and Po panted.

"That's why, Po!", Tigress said bitterly as she sat on the bed in the Lotus Position with her paws holding her feet while she faced the wall to the side of the bed making Po face her right side as he was at the foot of the bed.

"Tigress, why didn't you tell me in th-"

"Because it's too painful to think about!", she snapped without turning away from her position.

Po nodded and sighed,"Okay...fine, she can stay."

"Good.", stated Tigress without missing a beat as if she had already made the decision for the both of them. She seemed fascinated with the wall she was looking at.

"Great, you're mad."

"Why the hell shouldn't I be mad?"

"Well-i-it's not exactly my fault!", said Po as he raised his voice again slightly.

"Yes it is."

Po looked at her like she was growing a second head."How...the hell...is it my fault...for your mom...raping me?"

"I'm not talking about that, that you're forgiven for."

"Forgiven fo-", Po blinked so much he could have fanned a breeze."Then what is it you're angry about?"

Tigress took a deep breath to calm herself before looking at him with a glare."Because you didn't trust my word."

Po rubbed his head and groaned"You know what? Yeah, sure, I'm sorry, Even though I said I trust you, and I don't trust your mother, I'm sorry. Now can we please go to sleep?"

Tigress studied him for a second."You're lying."

"Well of course I'm lying! I just wanna go to sleep...", he groaned.

"Well there's plenty of couches downstairs.", stated Tigress.

"B-B-Bu-But!", he sighed,"Okay look, I trust you honey. I really do. I trust you more than anybody. Hell, even Mantis!"

Tigress gave him an 'are-you-kidding-me' look.

"I mean Monkey!"

She prolonged the stare.

"Viper then! Look, that's not the point. Yes I do trust you more than anyone, but come on honey... You have to understand how difficult this is for me.", he said softly as he rubbed her shoulders pleadingly."It's not like I was saying no to you making me a bowl of noodles or something, this was a difficult thing for me to grasp."

Tigress sighed."I know it was Po. I'm sorry.", she hugged him as he hugged back.

"So no couch then?", Po smiled.

"Nope. You're staying right here with me.", she smiled back as her nose twitched."You bathed again?"

"Yeah well kinda had to after what happened..."

"Hmmm. So how tired are you?", purred Tigress.

"I dunno. Pretty tired. I don't think I could last another...ten minutes?"

"How about just four minutes tonight? I'm kinda tired too."

He raised a brow and smirked."I see."

"I don't think you do.", Tigress cooed as she blew out the candles, leaving him literally in the dark. Next thing he felt was his shorts being pulled off.

Tigress began to lick his shaft in the darkness as Po moaned. The feline's tongue flicked against his skin from base to tip like she was enjoying a very scrumptious popsicle. Finally when Po became hard she swirled her tongue around the head and stroked his now slick erection. The panda panted softly as he leaned back on the matress with his left paw as his right stroked her forehead.

"You liking it, baby?", Tigress whispered while still stroking him.

"Oh, yeah...", he whispered back.

"Well get ready to love it.", she purred before inhaling deeply and sliding his dick slowly into her mouth. Po moaned softly as he normally would when she pleasured him this way, but he gasped as he felt himself sliding down her throat. Before he knew it she was stroking his dick from base to tip without any paws. He leaned his head back, moaning more.

"Oh god baby I love you.", his words were not met with a purr this time, for there was no way to purr with her throat being obstructed. But she compensated much to his greatest pleasure. She began to suck, and hard while continuing her movements. She could feel his veins pulsating inside her and smiled as she pulled back just enough so that his head was just above her voice box. She let out the breath that she had been holding with a purr.

To her surprise, Po's eyes glowed red as he panted hard and with his claws now sharp he tore at the bed and let out a soft and pleasured roar as he reached his climax.

Tigress swallowed repeatedly and pulled him out before smiling up at him. He could see her now with his Feral Eye. He smiled back and stroked her cheek with a paw.

She purred and pushed him down on the mattress. She laid on top of him and pulled the covers over her back when she began to kiss him. He kissed back when his eyes went back to normal. They continued to make out and hold each other until they each fell asleep, Po going first. Tigress purred more and kissed him a few more times before falling asleep as well, the thunder in the distance giving the two a rumbling lullaby.

Early next morning. The two had slept in their position all night. Feline on panda, holding paw in paw, with the feline resting her head on her lover's chest. It was a very sweet sight just like any other morning. But within the feline's stomach was something not so sweet. It churned inside and caued her stomach to thrash about desperate to get attention. Tigress woke up as her eyes shot open wide, she scurried off of Po, who woke up from her movements, and quickly crawled out of bed before running into the bathroom holding a paw over her mouth.

Po looked around the room as he sat up, still being a little groggy. He looked behind him at the halfway closed door to the bathroom as a retching sound filled his ears. He got up out of bed and walked over to the bathroom door and opened it slowly with his extended left arm while standing in the doorway. When the rest of the bathroom was revealed, he could see Tigress huddled over the toilet vomiting up a foul smelling bile.

Po twitched his ears,"Wow, guess we aren't doing _that _again, huh? Not if it's gonna make you puke.", said Po.

"No...no, that's not-", Tigress retched again with a cough,"That's not it!", she coughed again and began to gag as she trembled and gripped the toilet tightly, Po now had a worried look on his face.

"Oh god, then what is it? The king didn't poison you when you weren't looking did he?", Po asked with concern all over his face.

"No, Po...but go get Dr. Kime-", she began another wave of vomitting, Po nodded quickly.

"Okay, okay, good idea, I'll go get her! Stay here!", he said with panic in his voice.

Tigress gave him a look to show him she was not amused, but it went unrecognised as Po was already out of the door of their room.

Dr. Kimeru came into the room a minute later followed by Po. She looked severely groggy, but remained focused since Po said that it was a medical emergency. She leaned her shoulder and forehead on the doorway as she yawned.

"Po said you were acting really sick and disease ridden?", she asked in her usual soft tone, yet she could not hide the annoyance in her voice from the unwanted wake up call so early in the morning.

Tigress was panting softly. She looked a wreck as she leaned against the wall with one paw resting on the lip of the toilet."I wouldnt say...disease ridden. But...I think I'm starting...morning sickness..."

Dr. Kimeru perked up her ears and Po just looked confused.

"What's morning sickness?", asked Po.

"It's the first sign of when a woman is pregnant, aside from the late period.", said Dr. Kimeru.

"Period?", blinked Po.

"Explain...later, Po...", panted Tigress. She then latched onto the toilet again and gave it it's undivided attention as she bellowed out another wave of bile. Dr. Kimeru walked over to her and kneeled down as she began to rub her paw over Tigress' back. She had her back towards Po, but smirked as she could hear his anxious whimpers.

"She's going to be fine, Po. This is completely normal. But go downstairs and start making some tea. Once she's finished she'll likely want something to drink, and not to mention something to settle her stomach."

Po nodded like an idiot and walked to the door of the bedroom before closing the door behind him when he went out into the hall. He turned around from the door to meet a very annoyed tiger just a foot away.

"Po, is there anyway that next time you have a medical emergency that you could at least knock?", mumbled Koru.

"Sorry man, I'll try to be more careful next time. But I was freaking out, I thought Tigress was about to die or something.", said Po as he started to make his way down the hall. Koru followed him.

"Is she alright? What did Yunwei say?"

"Apparently it's normal when you're pregnant. First sign of pregnancy except of course when you've got a late appointment with a period or something like that.", replied Po. He and Koru began walking down the stairs and Po's stomach rumbled as he began to think of all the stuff he was going to make for breakfast.

"What's a period?", asked Koru.

"Hell if I know.", yawned Po.

The two made their way to the kitchen and Po began to take everything out that he was going to need to make eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, biscuits, gravy and an assortment of fruits. He also took out a tea kettle and filled it with water before putting it on the stove and lighting the fire. Then he took out a couple of Oolong teabags and placed them in the strainer inside the kettle before continuing to make breakfast. Koru was now leaning back on the counter on the other side of the kitchen as he watched Po cook.

"So...what's it like?", Koru asked.

"What's what like?", Po replied without looking away from his cooking.

"You know...getting married, starting a family. It must feel kind of scary, doesn't it?"

"Eh, a little. I'm sure I'm going to freak on both due dates. If I'm around for them.", Po mumbled quietly at that last part. Koru perked his ears up. He heard Po's mumble perfectly.

"You're thinking of going somewhere, Dragon Warrior? Because I can tell you right now that I would lose all respect for you if you left Master Tigress high and dry like that.", growled Koru. He had abandonment issues to say the least, having been left on the streets when he was two.

"No, that's not it. I wouldn't give up this life for anything in the world. But...I may not have any other choice.", Po sighed, kneeding the dough for the biscuits.

"You lost me, Po.", shrugged Koru.

"Just forget about it, it's nothing for you to be concerned about."

Koru thought for a minute as he stared at the floor with his arms crossed, the memory echoing in his mind of the conversation he had overheard in the hospital.

_"I mean, damn it! Couldn't you confide in me? I deserved to know, man!"_

_"I didn't want you to feel burdened!"_

_"It's not like I had a choice, Mantis! Viper practically ripped it out of me! You know how relentless she is!"_

_"I don't care about that! I should have known! Me!"_

_"Po, I'm not ready for this!"_

Suddenly, Koru's ears perked up slightly in realization, then he turned his head to look at the panda who was now cooking the bacon at the stove and had just thrown away the now used teabags. Koru spoke up quietly, not even realizing that someone had been listening in on the conversation.

"You're dying..."

Po stiffened as he stopped what he was doing. But after a few seconds to recover, he continued to cook the bacon.

"Not exactly...but you're pretty close...", Po said softly.

"So you are going to die?", asked Koru, who had straightened up from leaning against the counter as he was eyeing Po.

Po nodded slightly,"Most likely, yes...don't tell anyone, kay?"

Koru sighed softly through his nose."If that is what you wish. But may I ask how you think you will die? Not many people are given the allowance of knowing."

"I had a vision. It happens in less than three months."

"Three months?", whispered Koru, as if he was trying to wrap his mind around the idea of his comrade actually dying so soon, especially after seeing his abilities. They did not notice the figure in their midst leaving just as silently as it had arrived.

"Do me a favor, Koru...when I die, I want you to act as the child's biological father. If it turns out the way I think it will, it will look almost exactly like you. Tigress will say no, but this is what I want. The child should be able to have a father. And it shouldn't have to hear of his or her real dad's tragic story until...well, let's just make sure that the subject never comes up."

Koru growled and lunged at Po before pinning him to the cabinets."What the hell is your problem? You think that just because fate has decided something for you that you should just accept it? And how dare you take away the honor of telling a child of it's father's last heroic actions? It's barbaric!", he roared.

"Problems, ladies?", said a voice. They both looked at the doorway of the kitchen to see Shiro yawning. He had just woken up as he had fallen asleep at his post. Koru glared at Shiro and let go of Po, who looked away and continued to make the eggs, attempting to fix any burnt spots in the edges of the whites.

"It's nothing, Shiro. How many eggs do you want?", asked Po.

"Sixteen."

"You're getting three."

Meanwhile, up in Song and Shiro's room. A figure slowly creaked open the door of the room, not wanting to wake anyone. It shut the door quietly after slipping in. Then it fell onto the bed without any grace whatsoever and sobbed into the pillow.

"Damn you, Po, how could you!", Song screamed into the pillow with all her might before weeping into the plush fabric.

Tigress was walking down the hall holding her stomach. Dr. Kimeru had decided to go back to bed. As Tigress turned the corner she found Song entering her room with tears in her eyes. As the tiger walked to the door to investigate, she heard Song's muffled scream. So she gently opened the door and stood there in the doorway to see Song weeping.

"You know we really must stop meeting like this.", she said. Song quickly sat up and sniffled, trying to hide her tears. For all she knew, Po had only told Koru about this and Song didn't want to put any unecissary stress on Tigress for the baby's sake.

"What do you want, I'm busy.", said Song as her voice was still filled with emotion.

"I can see that.", Tigress sat on the bed and looked at Song,"What's wrong? Did you and Shiro just break up or something?"

"No. I'm fine. It's nothing.", Song said as she wiped her nose with the side of her finger and looked away from Tigress.

"Crying about Po again?"

"No! I'm past that.", spat Song."Now leave me be."

Ever the stubborn one, Tigress put her paw on the back of Song's in an attempt to get her to open up.

Song closed her eyes as she felt Tigress' paw and sniffled, not turning her head back to her,"Let me ask you something. What happens to Po in three months?"

Tigress' ears lowered and she frowned."So he told you..."

"No, I overheard him telling Koru in the kitchen.", she said as her voice cracked. She turned her head and opened her eyes to look at Tigress."So you knew?"

She nodded in response and looked at the floor. Just then, Song hugged her tightly and sobbed. Tigress sighed and hugged her back.

"How many more tears must fall before the bloodshed is over?", whispered Tigress, as if asking in a prayer, but then spoke up,"Song we've spoken to Master Oogway about this. And he says that there is a way for Po to be spared. But another must die in his place.", what came next shocked Tigress and shook her to her very core.

"Let me take his place then.", said Song as she still had her eyes covered in Tigress' shoulder.

Tigress' tongue would not utter even a mere whimper out of her gaping mouth. As if it was now settled, Song straightened up and sighed."Now tell me how it happens."

It was Tigress' turn to hug Song. But she didn't cry."Song, thank you so much for such a selfless offer. But no. I could never trade the life of a friend for anything."

"Even Po's life?"

Before Tigress could retort, she heard Po call up the stairs,"Breakfast is ready!"

Tigress stood up and looked at Song again, as if wondering if she should skip breakfast to discuss Song's rash, yet quite honorable disicion. But her stomach twitched in it's nauseous fit, so she decided it best to speak with Song later on in the day. The tiger turned around and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Song sat there for a few minutes longer. She wondered how in the hell that she could even look at Po without crying. Why had fate cursed her to cry whenever she saw the one she loved? Yes, she still loved him. And since her heat had ended and she searched her heart, she came to the conclusion that this feeling would never change.

The leopardess smiled some when she thought about what might occur in three months, for if it really did happen...she would be sacrificing herself for the one she so deeply loved so that he may have a prosporous life and a loving family. She would be lying if she said if given the chance to switch fates with Tigress she wouldn't do it in a heartbeat. But once death claimed Song she imagined that she would no longer feel such longing in her heart and her f...friend would not have to worry about not seeing the birth of his child.

The leopardess took a deep breath and exhaled it. She stood up. Adamant. Her legs walked proudly to the door. Her feminine yet strong paw reached for the knob. She turned it.

"_I can make it happen..."_

But the door never opened. Song stood there. Wide eyed. Terrified. Her once proud legs shaking. Her feminine yet strong paw now weak. She let go of the doorknob. She turned around to look at the one responsible for the whisper in her head.

There on her bed sat a black panther, shrouded in darkness as black as her fur. Her eyes glowed a sickly purple. She stared at Song, as if reaching into her soul and carressing it like a rapist would a victim's face.

"Wh...who are you?", was all that Song could say. The voice she now thought sounded as if coming from her head spoke again. But it was like a whisper as soft and disturbing as a cloud of smoke that was belched from the fire that burned a dead man. The figure slid off of the bed and stood. Her body in and of itself was very alluring. Song even wondered if she was still in heat, but kept her view of the panther's eyes. Those disgusting eyes.

"I am the one who makes my master a master. I speak for her when the time to speak is too meaningless. But I also speak for her when there is a female in her way that must be discarded and taken off of the game board.", she walked closer as Song backed away into the wall.

"Y-you're going to kill me?", Song whimpered. She had never felt so weak in her life. But those eyes...something in them was telling her to give up. To give in to the panther's wishes.

"Well that is what you wanted, isn't it dear?", the panther asked while stroking Song's cheek."Yes I know what you have whispered in the darkness. And now the darkness has decided to whisper back. But no girl, I will not kill you. You are going to help us. And in exchange I can allow yours and the tiger's fates to be switched.", she continued. But Song finally decided to start fighting back. She threw a punch at the panther, but it was caught. She threw another. It was caught again. The panther pinned Song's arms up against the wall above her head."Now now. Is that any way to behave infront of your new master?"

"I will never help you!", spat Song.

"Oh my dear, you say this as if you have a choice!", the panther said before kissing Song on the lips. Song tried to back away and resist, but the panther's lips were...very soft and tasted so sweet...

Just as Song closed her eyes and began to kiss back, Tigress bursted through the door and glared at the panther. Her eyes went wide when she saw what was happening infront of her.

The panther stopped the kiss and smiled at Tigress.

"Well hello. You're a few seconds too late I'm afraid. She is ours now.", the panther kissed Song once again before turning into pure black smoke and flying out of the crease of the window closest to her. Song slid down the wall just staring infront of her at the window. She sat on the floor and touched her lips.

Song looked up at Tigress, who was staring down at her.

"Wha...what just...happened?


	28. Chapter 28: Feline Frenzy

Chapter 28: Feline Frenzy

Tigress panted and stared at Song. She had felt an evil aura when she sat down to eat breakfast, so just as when she and Po reunited as Seikaku and Yogan she disappeared in a flash from her seat to come back up here, leaving everyone to stare at her chair in confusion. No doubt the others would come running so Tigress knelt down beside Song and examined her lips as she grabbed the leopardess' chin and turned her head about in different directions gently.

"Good, there's no seal.", sighed Tigress as she stood up. Song looked up at her again.

"S-seal?"

"Yes, Song, a seal. Wuji told Po that when the Demon kisses any spot on your body, then you become under her control as a spy. That's why Viper and I examined you that night. Don't you remember?", said Tigress as she sat down and rubbed her forehead. She felt weak from vomiting, not eating, and transporting herself up here. Not to mention all the stress building up in her head.

Song just looked at the floor and shook slightly,"Seal..."

Tigress continued to rub her head, but looked at Song as Po and Shiro came in. Shiro went to Song's side and knelt beside her.

"Song. Song, what's wrong? Are you okay?", he asked in a worried tone.

Song looked at Shiro. Her face was pale, yet you could hardly tell through her fur."Wrong..."

"What's wrong with her?", asked Po.

Tigress glanced at the door, sensing that no one had followed Po and Shiro. She stared at the floor as she rested her elbows on her knees and rubbed her temples."Song was kissed by a black female panther. And she said that she's 'one of them now'. At first I thought that she might have the seal on her lips, but it hasn't appeared."

"A panther? Well where is she?", snapped Shiro, who was getting increasingly jealous that someone kissed his Song.

"She knew black magic, Shiro. She turned into some kind of smoke and went out the window before I could stop her."

"But wait, isn't that what happens when the Demon herself kisses them? And Moeru is a red lion, how can she be a black panther too?", said Po.

"That's what worries me. I mean, look at Song. Look at how she's acting.", she said.

Song's whole body shook. Shiro hugged her close to his chest, but she still shook as if she was back in the Fubuki mountains. She did not blink unless she heard her name. And she would not speak unless someone spoke to her directly, even then she would only utter a single word from the sentence.

"Song. Song, look at me.", said Shiro as he rubbed her shoulder. She blinked a couple of times but would not move her head.

"Song..."

Po looked over at the leopards for a minute from where he stood next to Tigress, then he looked at his mate."Hun...search out her being. Can you sense her?"

Tigress immediately shook her head as she looked over at the two leopards as well,"No. I can't sense her at all. It's like she's hollow inside..."

Po balled his paws into fists,"They took her..."

Tigress stood up and looked at Po. She nodded to show she understood as well. Shiro looked over at the two with a glare.

"What do you mean they took her? She's sitting right here!", he said. For the first time in their lives, as Tai Lung or Shiro, Tigress and Po saw tears in the snow leopard's eyes.

"They have her soul, Shiro.", said Po softly."They have her soul and they'll try to control her from this point on."

Shiro stared at them for a minute, letting their words sink in. Then he looked at Song and picked her up, laid her down on their bed and kissed her lips softly in the hopes that by some fairytale she would wake from her trance. But she didn't.

Shiro straightened up and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?", asked Po.

Shiro stopped and shook his head."I...I don't know. But something inside me keeps telling me to look at that scroll you had before."

Po and Tigress exchanged a look of wariness.

"Well why don't you stay here with Song, we'll go get it for you. Do you want us to bring up any food? You hardly ate anything before we came up here.", said Po.

Shiro eyed the two."That's okay, I can get it.", he started to walk to the door again, but Po put his arm out to block him.

"That's a very special scroll Shiro, and it _is _mine. I will bring it to you when I am ready."

Shiro growled softly, but nodded and pulled a chair up beside the bed to sit down and watch over Song.

Tigress and Po left the room and went downstairs. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Tigress immediately started the conversation that both of them were aching to start the moment Shiro asked for the Scroll.

"I say we don't give it to him."

"Of course not. But since Master Oogway vouched for him we need to at least consider it. Maybe this was part of his plan.", he replied as they entered the dining room.

She sighed,"I still don't like it."

"Is everything alright up there?", asked Jiu-Ne.

"Not entirely, mom.", sighed Tigress."We will explain later.", she turned her head to look at the panda next to her."Po, are you going to speak with Master Oogway again?"

"Yes. We need his guidance if there ever was a time for it.", nodded Po.

"Can I come?", asked Monkey.

"Me too!", said Mantis.

"Guys, guys, it's not as simple as taking a trip down the Thousand Steps. Bringing someone to the 'Spirit' World is 'spiritually' exausting. And I only brought Tigress because she's my cute fuzzy soulmate of awesomness.", he said as he pointed a thumb to Tigress, who blushed and laughed softly.

The primate and bug rolled their eyes.

"Please Po? I want to see Dieh again.", said Monkey.

Po sighed."FIne, but...do exactly what I tell you to do, okay?"

Monkey nodded and walked into the sitting room to wait for Po and to mentally prepare himself.

Po pulled Tigress into his arms and kissed her passionately. She kissed back after cupping his face in her paws. Everyone at the table either averted their eyes, rolled their eyes or tried to ignore them by focusing on their meal.

After a good five minutes of kissing, Po finally pulled back with a smile. Tigress smiled back, her cheeks were red."And what was that for?", she purred and leaned against him, her tail swaying happily.

"Monkey and I will probably be gone for a while and I wanted that kiss to last.", said Po.

"I see. Would you like a little...optimism to get you closer to the city?", she asked with a wink.

Po chuckled,"Actually that probably wouldn't be a bad idea."

Tigress purred and led him back upstairs.

Viper sighed and shook her head. Jiu-Ne smirked and raised a brow.

"Do they always act like that?", asked the older tiger.

"Prrrretty much.", said Mantis before biting into his biscuit.

Meanwhile, in the slums of the city stood a restaurant where a few people were enjoying their meals. It was a little dark inside. People usually kept to themselves and aimed to keep it that way, so no one sat close to each other. Infact all four corners of the dining area had at least one person occupying a table. But one group in particular was making everyone in the restaurant wish they had eaten somewhere else. There were three off duty guards, all being of the twelve that had stood guard over the main gate of the Exterior Walls of the Villas a couple days ago. They were laughing too loud, they were breaking their glasses, and they were even flirting a little too boldly with the waitresses. Their flirts got more and more bold with every drop of alcohol they consumed. A lone person sat in another corner watching the three. The person had been following the guards all day trying to find the perfect moment to strike. And as her time in the restaurant drew out, the feeling of the time to strike felt closer and closer.

Just then a rather annoyed yet pretty young lizard walked to the three rhinos and set their beers down on the table. She began to walk away, but one of the guards stopped her.

"Heheheh, hey baby you keep getting more and more attractive every time you come out here. You an angel or somethin?", he asked after grabbing her arm a little too hard.

The lizard winced and shook her head,"No sir. But I have other duties to see to, so if you don't mind letting go-"

"Oh? Then you must be a devil then. But don't worry I can handle a little heat.", he chuckled and grabbed her other arm. The lizard panicked now as she dropped her tray and tried to pull away from him as he stood up. The other guards did nothing but egg him on.

"Please sir let go of me!", she yelled. But it was too late. The drunkeness of the rhino had put him passed rational thought. He slammed her onto a table to make her lay down. He grabbed her throat with one hand to make sure she didn't struggle as his other hand crawled up her skirt. The waitress struggled, but he tightened his grip, causing her to stop resisting him. The rhino was just about to pull down her underwear when he felt something hit his eye. Hard. He groaned and let go of the lizard as he put a hand over his eye. He and his friends looked over at the figure now standing at the other end of the restaurant.

"Leave. Her. Alone.", hissed the figure..

"You little bitch, I'll kill you for that!", the rhino charged at her, but the woman jumped over him with ease and kicked him in the back of the head with a mere forward flip. This sent him flying into the wall as her kicked caused him to become too dizzy to see which end was up. The other two ran over to her as they took out their spears. As they reached her, she quickly kicked the spears away into another wall with her left leg, and while still in midair she slammed her right knee into the two's faces in a domino effect.

The female looked at the rhinos to make sure they stayed down, then she walked over to the chatty one and grabbed him by the collar.

"Where is the bird?", she asked through bared fangs.

"W-What bird?", the rhino replied.

"The crane that came to this city. He came with the Dragon Warrior and his crew! Tell me where he is!", she hissed.

"Oh th-the Dragon Warrior! Yes, he and his group are staying at the Dragon Palace in the Interior Walls of the city! They arrived only days ago!", he trembled.

"Good, now was that so hard?", she said before slapping him in the face for good measure and standing up straight. As she left, the lizard, who had just recovered from the assault, hid in the kitchen.

The female came out into the open as the bright sun revealed her form. She was a mountain cat with tan fur and brown spots who wore a black tunic and dark blue pants. She wore no shoes, but the gloves that covered her paws were black like her tunic. She also had a red sash around her waist. The feline walked down the street on her way to the Interior Wall doing her best to avoid the gazes of any guards hanging around. Once she made it to the wall, she looked around to make sure no one was watching. Ever the bold one she immediately clawed her way up the stone wall behind a tall tree, making holes imbetween the bricks with her sharp claws that had long ago made conspicuous openings in the fingertips of her gloves.

Once she found her way to the top she sighed softly and gazed at the Villas, wondering which was the Dragon Palace. Her ear twitched as she heard a wooshing sound. She dodged an arrow aimed for her head by merely leaning her head to the left. She looked at the one who shot the arrow. Another rhino. And he was at the top of a watch tower. she smirked and fell head first off of the wall. It didn't take her long to land on the palace below her as her feet made a light thump.

The cat swiftly ran acrossed the roof as she sniffed the air and dodged the arrows. Finally she caught the scent she hadn't smelled it years. A smile curved over her lips as she dashed for the Dragon Palace which was two Villas away.

Back at the palace, Po and Monkey had finally started meditating. A very happy tiger sat on a couch watching them as she continuously purred, grooming the fur on her face with her claws. The others sat around the primate and panda as well, but they were much quieter about it.

Jiu-Ne gasped a bit as Po's eyes glowed, and they all winced when Po and Monkey immediately started receiving cuts on their legs and arms, bruises on their faces and torsos, and Po's ear even started to bleed. But just as quickly as they had exited their minds they came back panting. Tigress instantly got up and walked over to Po as he stood, smiling at him, but still looked at him with concern.

"How long were you gone this time?", she asked rubbing his most likely empty stomach. He hugged her tightly and sighed heavily. It was then she noticed over Po's shoulder Monkey kissing the floor.

"Three years, babe.", he replied.

Tigress blinked and looked at him."How did that happen? When we travelled there we made it to the city in a few hours."

"Ask Monkey.", said Po in an annoyed tone. Everyone looked at him expectantly.

The primate shrugged nervously."I may or may not have drank a little bit of scotch before we left?"

"Sent us halfway to the other side of the world!", exclaimed Po.

"Hey I said I was sorry like a thousand times!"

"But you didn't help matters when you gave us away in that dungeon!"

"Hey if I hadn't said anything that chick would have totally raped us, and that's a sacrifice for me man cus you get laid all the time and I haven't had sex in months!"

Tigress' ear twitched and she cleared her throat. Po looked at her and sighed,"It's a long story, this ghoul that inhabited a castle told us she could show us a shortcut and she caught us by surprise." After Tigress nodded Po let out a yelp."Oh I almost forgot, Master Oogway told us something important.", he said as he ran to the door. Monkey just plopped down on the sofa and immediately fell asleep.

Po opened the door just as the mountain cat ran inside and hid behind Po, about two dozen guards at the door.

"Master Po, this woman assaulted three of my men and is now tresspassing, please hand her over to us.", growled the commander.

"Actually we were expecting her, thank you.", and with that Po closed the door on the furious rhinos.

"Mei Ling!", yelled Crane as he flew over to the cat and hugged her. She returned the hug and laughed.

"Crane, it's so good to see you.", she said.

"Good to see you too.", smiled Crane.

"Okay you two break it up for a second, we've got business to discuss and not a lot of time to discuss it. Mei Ling, are you hungry?" asked Po as he walked passed her and Crane.

Mei Ling blinked."Well maybe a little. How did you kn-"

"Master Oogway.", said Po as he walked to the kitchen followed by Tigress.

Mantis groaned as he hopped towards the dining room along with everyone else, excluding a sleeping Monkey."Why can't we stop moving back and forth? it's getting monotonous."

"Trust me buddy, you're gonna wanna hear this."Po called back with a laugh as he began to cook noodles for himself and Mei Ling, and some extra for Monkey when he woke up.

After they ate amongst the patiently waiting group, Mei Ling spoke up first.

"Okay first of all, Dragon Warrior, these are amazing. Second. I've been sent here by Master Oogway to help in this war."

"That's awesome!", said Crane a little more enthusiastically than he'd meant to sound.

Po chuckled,"And that's not the best part, not even close. Master Oogway has been training Mei Ling to perform a special talent of Spirit Worldly powers.", said Po with his signiture grin.

"What talent is that?", asked Viper.

"How to transfer Chi into plants.", smiled Mei Ling proudly.

"Thats so cool, now we can turn the Demon into a weed and stomp on her!", said Mantis.

"Not transform, transfer. I can make plants grow.", she said.

"Ohhhh.", Mantis said and blushed at his own stupidity.

"But now we also know when Moeru is going to strike!", said Po excitedly.

Everyone looked at him as Koru made an almost inaudible growl. He mumbled,"Not three months, is it?"

Po rolled his eyes."No, she's made her base at the Jade Palace! And won't be coming for another five months!", said Po.

"And how is that good news?", asked Crane being one of the few who still did not know of Po's vision.

"Well...let's just say somebody we thought would not be able to help us will indeed be in the fight.", Po said smirking. TIgress hugged Po tightly.

"This is so great, honey. i told you something would allow us to avoid this.", she purred and cried happy tears as she nuzzled his neck.

"And again that's not the best part.", said Po, who was grinning ear to ear.

Tigress, who could hardly contain her amusement, giggled,"Okay Po, I don't see how it could be better than what you just told us, but what is it?"

Po looked at everyone, then at Tigress with glee in his eyes."I found more pandas."


	29. Chapter 29: Trading Pain For Awesomeness

Chapter 29: Trading Pain For Awesomeness

Everyone was speechless. Happy, but speechless. The pandas were supposed to be extinct, save for the Dragon Warrior. Tigress managed to speak up.

"Th-that's wonderful, babe, but hhhow?", she asked through wide eyes.

"Well they aren't in China, but they are coming from another country just West of China. Oogway said so. He said that the pandas were travelling to help in this war.", he smiled wider.

"Whoa, whoa, that's great and all Po, but shouldn't we be worried more about the Jade Palace? I mean especially about your father?", said Crane.

Po's bleeding ear twitched softly. He was silent. Everyone waited for him to erupt. Or to panic. Or cry. But it never came. All he did was clear his throat, though he still looked worried.

"O-okay. Yeah. That's...that's a good point.", he stood up and tapped his fingers on the table nervously in thought, trying to think of their options to figure out the best possible solution. After a half a minute of thought, he spoke up without looking away from the table. His fingers stopped fidgeting."I have to go."

Tigress' whiskers twitched as her ears laid back.

"Okay, so should we start packing now, or...?", asked Crane.

"No. I'm going, not you. I can travel faster alone.", he replied.

"Even with all your dad's stuff? Can you carry all that?", asked Viper.

"He isn't taking all of his things with him, just the most important stuff.", Po said as he walked around the chair he was sitting in and pushed it under the table.

"How long will you be gone?", asked Crane.

"Well...", sighed Po as he did some figuring in his head,"Took us about a week to get here so I'd say about...six to eight hours?"

"Make it seven to nine with the breaks we'll be stopping for.", smiled Tigress hopefully as she stood next to him.

Po looked at her,"No. You're staying here. With all of that running I don't want you to put too much stress on the baby. And I won't be stopping until I get there."

Tigress let out a growl and tensed up,"You're doing that overprotective thing again. I told you I can handle myself."

"But do you know what those outlandish speeds for an extended period of time could do to our child? I don't want to find out.", he said with determination as he eyed his mate.

Tigress sighed."Fine. But hurry back.", she said before pressing her paw on his shoulder and giving him a quick kiss.

Po nodded and looked at the others."Okay I want everyone to stay busy while I'm gone. Dr. Kimeru we need you to examine Song to see if there is any danger to her health. When you get to their room, Shiro will explain what happened.", Dr. Kimeru nodded and got up to walk upstairs as he continued,"Mantis, get some money out of my bag, go wake up Monkey, go to the market with him and buy as much food as you can carry and bring it back here. Crane, since you aren't picking my dad up, I want you to carry the bodies of the dead assassins to their barracks and explain what happened.", Crane grimaced and nodded."Mei Ling, get the flowers from Dr. Kimeru's bags and plant them in the back yard. I want a full garden blooming by the time I get back. Viper, how long has it been since you drained any venom?"

Viper looked at the table for a moment in thought and did her best to shrug before looking back up at him,"It's been a few months. Why?"

Tigress' ear twitched as her eyes narrowed and glowed ever so slightly. Something was amiss...

"Good, you'll have plenty then. Go ahead and contain it in some jars for me, I'll need them when I get back. "

"What do you want me to do?", asked Tigress in an uncharicteristicly eager manner as she felt an overwhelming urge to be of use after Po's rejection to let her leave with him.

"You, Jiu-Ne and Koru will go to the King's Palace and tell him that there will be a banquet here in two days and that he and all of his generals are invited. We are going to have a war council. Do not accept his...", he rolled his eyes in annoyance," ' civil advisors', only military. The civil aren't welcome and hold no place here after what you've told me. After you leave his palace, go to the Hall of Records and gather the info that Master Oogway told us to retrieve."

Tigress, Koru and Jiu-Ne all nodded.

"What's Shiro gonna do?", asked Crane as he seemed a little annoyed that Po kept giving him some rather annoyingly hard or disgusting chores.

"Yeah, about that...", sighed Tigress.

Po looked confused for a moment until Tigress began to countdown with her fingers. When she ran out of the fingers on her paw, Dr. Kimeru rushed back inside the dining room.

"Shiro's gone, and he taken Song with him.", she said.

"What?", said Tigress and Po as they spun around.

"I felt Shiro leaving, but I didn't think he'd take Song!", exclaimed Tigress.

"Where in the hell does he think he's going?", exclaimed Po.

"No time to think about that, come on!", she said as they sped off in a blur.

The rest left to do as Po said with Dr. Kimeru leading Mei Ling to her room to get the flowers and Jiu-Ne helping Viper get out the jars and holding them for her. Koru just stood up from the table and decided he might as well train a little until the three tigers left.

Tigress ran out of the building with Po at her heels. They rushed through the streets passed it's inhabitants without even bothering to dodge them. When they arrived at the massive crowds of people they simple jumped onto the city's wall and ran along the edge. Tigress felt Shiro's presence to be even closer now. She spotted the snow leopard with a large lump of brown cloth over his back running through the alleyways. Tigress gave Po a glance and jumped off of the wall with Po following her. They landed on the building where Shiro was about to pass behind and jumped down. Tigress stopped infront of him, causing Shiro to skid to a stop and spin around to run away, but Po was waiting for him with a death glare.

"Where do you think you are taking her?", asked Po through gritted teeth.

"It's none of your business, panda!", spat Shiro.

"It is our business when you try to kidnap a good friend to do god knows what with her.", growled the tiger behind him.

"Fine then! I'm going to take her to the Demon and retreive her soul!", he snapped back.

Po looked at the bristled fur on the back of Shiro's head. He whispered."Shiro."

Shiro did not move as he continued to glare at Tigress, trying to think of a way to get out of this perdicament.

"Shiro.", Po said as he spoke up a little. Still nothing.

"Tai Lung.", said the panda grimly, Tigress' eyes widened as the snow leopard turned to look at the panda.

"What?", growled Tai Lung.

"Give me back the Dragon Scroll.", he replied and held his empty paw out.

Tai Lung growled lowly."It was mine to begin with and now that it gives me power I will not part with it as easily this time."

Po shook his head,"You damned fool."

Before Tai Lung could even question the Dragon Warrior, Tigress swished passed him as she took Song away from the snow leopard and ran passed the panda back towards the palace. Tai Lung attempted to run passed Po, but Po immediately put Tai lung in a hold with his face in the ground and his arm locked behind his back, his arm in a backwards 'S' as it was bent upward so that his paw, which was forced onto it by Po, was pressing against the back of his neck. Po used his other paw to pull up on the underside of Tai Lung's elbow to raise it and pressed his knee harshly into the leopard's spine.

Tai Lung groaned in pain,"Th-the Bengal Armbar! No. No, Shifu didn't teach you that.", laughed Tai Lung nervously.

"Nope. Tigress did. Hurts like hell right now, huh? Too bad it's about to get much...much worse, because no matter what your intentions you still put one of my best friends in danger. And that I cannot allow. So you have two options, leopard.", spat Po."Option one, you come back to the palace peacfully and work with us in killing the Demon thereby releasing Song's soul. Or option two. I go into Feral Mode, get out my shiny claws and shove them into your back, pull your arm out of it's socket from under your skin and pop it into the crevace between the third and forth lumbar of your spine. You know what the hardest part is?"

"C-cleaning up afterwards?", trembled Tai Lung.

"No.",whispered Po as he seethed hatred into Tai Lung's ear,"The hardest part is trying not to laugh from the unimaginable pain the victim is suffering from."

Tai Lung's eyes widened and he trembled more."O-Okay, okay...I'll be good-d-d."

"Swear it!", said Po as he raised up on Tai Lung's elbow even more and went into his Feral Mode as his eyes glowed a fierce scarlet.

"I swear to behave!", shouted Tai Lung in pain.

"Good!", said Po as he let go of Tai Lung and stood up, grabbing the Dragon Scroll that was sticking out of Tai Lung's back pocket,"Be back at the palace in half an hour or I'm hunting you down with Tigress again and we do a Double Bengal Armbar on you, bitch.", as he said this, Po dissapeared in a blur.

As he arrived, the panda stretched and sighed as he walked through the front door. When he entered he was greeted by no one, obviously everyone was doing their tasks that he set for them. Po walked to the sitting room and leaned against one of the couches to look at the stairs. He waited for Tigress to come back down. He could sense her presence in Song's room, but she was sitting at the bedside apparently assissting Dr. Kimeru. Po could not sense the doctor, but it made sense. He could never sense anyone other than Tigress, but now it was becoming even easier to detect her. Perhaps it was because of the child she bore. As the panda thought this, Po nodded to Viper as the snake tiredly nodded back and slithered slowly up the stairs. She needed a nap whenever she would drain such a large amount of venom and this occasion was no different. Po watched the snake climb the stairs as he continued his train of thought.

"Hmmm. That could be good if I could sense the baby too. I can only hope...", he said to himself.

"Ah you're back. Are you going to leave for the Valley of Peace soon?", asked a voice. Po turned his head to the right to watch Jiu-Ne walking up to him from the kitchen and leaning against the couch beside him. He inched away from her slightly and crossed his arms.

"Eh, yeah I will. Just wanted to say goodbye to Tigress first. Why do you ask?", he said, glancing at the older tiger.

"I was hoping you could do me a favor.", she shrugged.

"Hm. And that is?"

"Do you mind going to village where my husband and I lived when Tigress was born? Something was hidden there that needs to be brought back to the family.", said Jiu-Ne.

His curiosity peaked, Po looked at the tiger with a raised brow. Jiu-Ne giggled a bit from the look on his face.

"It's nothing really special. Well it is, but...it's special on a sentimental level. And...I want you to have it. Since you are marrying my daughter and since she even bares your child, it is only fitting. It was Ko-Ri's duty to give it to you once Hei-Wa was married, but since my husband had been...since he passed, I hid it in the outsirts of our old village. It lays under a rock hidden in the cliffside that hangs over our village. You can get the location of the village from Bao Gu."

"What is it, like a necklace or something?", blinked Po.

"No, Po. It was a sash. It has been worn by every dominant male in the pride that was our family for five generations.", smiled the tiger.

"Whoa...I'm deeply honored, Jiu-Ne.", Po bowed just as Tigress walked down the stairs watching the two.

"It is nothing, Po. With Tigress being the last of our family of child bearing age you are both our last hope to continue the bloodline. And please call me mother.", said Jiu-Ne with an even broader smile.

Tigress' heart warmed as Po looked at Jiu-Ne and quivered a bit."Uhm...that...thank you. But...I don't think it would be proper."

"And why not?", asked Tigress a bit angrily as she approached the two, causing Po to jump in surprise."I call Mr. Ping father, why can't you refer to my mother in the same manner?", she asked with the cross of her arms.

"Well, you see, uh...you've never really seen your real father, Tigress. Yet I've seen my real mother. And...I feel as though I'm disrespecting her memory or something."

Tigress sighed in slight annoyance, yet she understood what he meant,"I'm sure she'd understand, Po. If she were still alive, hell if all four parents were still alive and we somehow managed to get this far in our relationship, do you think she'd have a problem with you calling my mother mom?"

"I dunno...m-maybe?"

"Really? The same type of woman that would hide her son in a crate of radishes and sacrifice herself by leading Shen away from him? Mm-mm. I don't think she'd be the type to get so unhinged by such informality.", she smiled.

Po looked at Tigress for a moment and looked down in thought, but his eyes trailed over to meet Jiu-Ne's. She truly did have the eyes of a mother, and though they were the eyes of a tired woman as well, they were still filled with care and comfort. Po closed his eyes. Hesitantly he put his arms around the older female, to which she returned the gesture. They hugged for only a minute in complete silence, yet Po showed no signs of doing anything else but continuing the embrace.

"So are you going to say anything or is this just going to be as awkward as you're making it?", said Jiu-Ne with a small chuckle.

Po felt himself smiling as he squeezed a little more tightly."Okay...mom."

Tigress beamed at the two and let out a sigh of relief. Once Mr. Ping was here their family would almost be complete. But then her thoughts caused her to remember something and she regrettably decided to end the moment.

"O-okay, Po. Are you going to be leaving soon? You need to if you're going to get back with father and still have time to get some sleep tonight."

Po and Jiu-Ne broke the hug,"You're right.", he hugged Tigress and kissed her softly."Bye hun. I'll see you tonight. Oh and if Tai Lung doesn't come back in fifteen minutes I told him that you would perform the Bengal Armbar on him.", said Po quickly before the image of him blurred away.

"What? Po! Ugh...", Tigress facepalmed.

Jiu-Ne raised a brow,"What is the...'Bengal Armbar'."

"Trust me mother, you don't want to know. And I really am in no mood to do such a horrid task at the moment.", said Tigress with a sigh before walking back upstairs, but called back while she made her ascent,"I'm going to take a bath and put on something respectable for our meeting with the king. I suggest you do the same."

Jiu-Ne rolled her eyes and shook her head. She walked back to the kitchen to look at the freshly filled jars of clear venom. There was quite a bit of it. She sighed to herself and turned her head to the window over the sink. She looked out of the window and watched as Koru spun and punched at the air in his perfectly formed body in the backyard. Jiu-Ne felt odd whenever she saw this tiger. He was obviously attractive. His rugged good looks and chiseled body would make for a great lover. But something was keeping the older tiger from feeling attracted to this one. He had political power at least as he held the title of Master, so what was it? Did she not wish to get between Koru and the wolf? No, the wolf annoyed her too much to care about that. But what could it be?

Jiu-Ne let out another sigh as she leaned her hip against the counter and continued to watch the strange fellow as if she was trying to figure out a puzzle that's pieces that had been scattered long ago...


	30. Chapter 30: Along The Fiery Trail

Chapter 30: Along The Fiery Trail

_With Tai Lung_

Trudging shamefully through the streets of Kyrokuyoru City, the snow leopard glared at any fool that dumbfoundedly glanced at his hardened being. He walked passed many shops, and the scent of food made his stomach grumble from all his recent exersion. But he only gave the feeling of hunger his scrunched up face to look forward to. He had no money, and even though he knew he could probably do whatever he wanted here until Po and Tigress showed up, Tai Lung gave no indication that he would allow his past to bring himself even further shame.

"Ahhh...you carry the burdens of many, leopard. But none more crushing than your own. Why do you not let go of these feelings of self hatred and pain?", asked a voice.

Tai Lung stopped in his tracks and looked behind him to his right to see an old female goat sitting in the Lotus Position at the opening of an alleyway. She sat on a red rug with a bowl infront of her full of dried fruits and flower petals. Tai Lung shook his head as he began to turn back around, but he hesitated when he caught the scent of the fruit and flowers in her bowl. The goat chuckled under her breath.

"You may have what is in this bowl, if you wish. But I doubt you would wish to see what is inside when it is empty.", she said with a mischeivious smile.

Tai Lung was too hungry to care what nonsense she was spouting, so he bowed slightly in gratefullness and hurried over to the goat to pick up the bowl. She immediately smacked his paw with her small cane once he touched the bowl.

"You may eat of the bowl, but you may not take the bowl. Sit and enjoy your meal.", said the goat with a gentle wave of her cane to gesture for him to sit.

"I would, miss, but I must be getting back t-"

"Do not worry, leopard, I will deal with Tigress once she arrives.", she said with an amused and knowing smile.

Tai Lung growled softly,"Is this a-"

"Trick?", she interuppted."No, I have known the Dragon Warrior and his friends for some time now, but this is no trick. I doubt that they are even aware of my presence in this city, unless Oogway said something."

The leopard eyed the goat for a moment, then sat down in the Lotus Position before grabbing a few peices of dried fruit and beginning to eat.

"I am curious, Tai Lung, how did you think that you could demand anything from the Fountain Demon without her using her powers of seduction on you?", the Soothsayer asked.

Tai Lung's whiskers twitched and he continued to eye the goat when she said his name. Then again, he was quite infamous and if she knew Po and the Five, she would most likely know of him, so he mentally shrugged it off.

"I do not know. Hold the Demon ransom? I am sure her followers would no doubt give me back Song's soul if their master were in danger.", he continued to eat.

The Soothsayer laughed softly,"You think it could be that easy? I would have thought the first student to read and master all One Thousand Scrolls of Kung Fu to be smarter than that."

Tai Lung was insulted and flattered at the same time. It was a strange feeling."What's your point?", he snapped.

"My point is that you, need, training.", she said as she poked his chest with the end of her cane with her last three words, giving him a concerned look through her glasses.

"As you said, I have mastered the One Thousand Scrolls of Kung Fu, I need no more training.", he retorted as he ate the rest of the fruits and petals.

"In the physical realm, perhaps not. But in the Spirit Realm...", she breathed as the now empty bowl began to glow."You have gained nothing but weakness.", the Soothsayer's eyes began to glow softly as her pupils turned white, a fog came out of her bowl. Tai Lung looked around in worry, but the citizens walking around the market seemed oblivious to the mysical phenomenon happening right infront of them. Tai Lung watched in horror as the mist entered his nostrils and eyes, his body now became limp as it dragged him around and behind the Soothsayer into the dark alley.

The Soothsayer let out a chuckle and studied the final petal that was laying on the rug where Tai Lung had dropped it. She picked it up and ate it,"You will find your way, Leopard, you will find your way.", she said as she reached into her robe and pulled out a small tied up bag. She gently untied it, reached inside and took out a bee with the Imperial Seal on it's back before closing the bag. The bee looked up at her quizzically while sitting on her hoof. She whispered something to it for a few brief moments, and it took off into the unrecognizable distant sky.

_With Tigress_

Tigress stepped out of the bath and stretched out her tired muscles. She dried herself off and, as she looked in the mirror, she smiled. Her paw gently carressed her stomach. The tiger was unsure if she was ready to be a mother or not, especially considering the source. But she knew that she would love this child more than she had ever loved anyone else, save for Po. And even then it would be close.

She remembered how scared she was at first, but Po quickly crumbled her fears into dust. Tigress was not afraid of childbirth. She had endured more pain than most people in this world could only have nightmares about, both physical and perhaps even emotional. But Tigress was nonetheless afraid. She had been afraid that once this child was born that she would be bound to being 'just a housewife', or 'just a babysitter'. But Po told her that her fears were unfounded. While it was true she would have to take it easy on the training for the first couple of years after their baby was born, she would still be the leader of the Furious Five. And that after the child could walk they would train him or her in the arts of Kung Fu. And Po said she should be more worried about him, who had literally no experience when dealing with children aside from training them at the Jade Palace. While she was used to doing charity work with the Five by visiting orphanages and children's hospitals. She knew how to at least be motherly.

Then her eyelids lowered halfway as her naturally glowing irises stared at their reflection in rememberance of her and Po's past lives. Seikaku and Yogan had no children, though they tried so many times over the years. But alas their differences in species were just too great. It had broken her ancient heart many times over, and as Seikaku's heart was broken it had apparently helped in the hardening of the heart of Tigress when she herself remained in the cruel orphanage. Once their memories had returned, Tigress could only pray in gratefulness to the gods for their hand in her and Po's eventual fate.

The tiger sighed as she gazed at the smallest ridge of insulation that had accumulated on her stomach already. She grimaced softly. She was going to get fat, and there was nothing that could be done about it until post childbirth.

'Ah well.', she thought as she waltzed over to her and Po's wardrobe closet.'I suppose it will be well worth it.'

Tigress looked over her clothes and grimaced once again. Her new clothes were not completely to her liking. But she had to wear something. So she sighed inaudibly and picked out a red vest with white slacks. Her new red vest was a deeper red with golden lining and silver clasps, only a shade different than her usual vests. Not bad. And her white slacks, they were interesting. Same as her black ones, but the ends of her leggings were cut a few inches along the sides in a vertical formation, and the waist had a light silver sash that went with it. It would have to do.

Once she was dressed, Tigress made her way to the door of the bedroom and froze. Her eyes went wide for a moment as she felt Tai Lung's Chi disappear. He didn't leave, he didn't fade away as if he had died, he was just there one moment and gone the next. And there was another familiar Chi...she couldn't put her finger on it, but it was very unique. Shaking her head to snap herself back to reality, the tiger opened the door with the hint of a troubled look on her face. She would have to deal with this strange anomally later, and truth be told if there was anyone she wanted to just magically disappear out of thin air it would have been Tai Lung.

She made her way downstairs and into the kitchen where her mother was still leaning against the counter, her arms crossed. Jiu-Ne was so deep in thought that she did not notice her daughter's entrance. Tigress cleared her throat, causing Jiu-Ne to snap out of her trance and look at Tigress.

"Oh. Hello, Hei-Wa. Your bath didn't take too long, did it?", chuckled the older tiger nervously.

Tigress gave her mother a concerned look,"Mother, be honest with me...were you lusting after Koru?"

Jiu-Ne noticed the concern in her daughter's face and voice and gave her a look of confusion and deep thought just as her face was moments ago."Honestly no, I haven't. It has actually made me feel very strange. This isn't like me...", she saw Tigress let out a small sigh of relief,"Why? Is there something wrong with him?"

At this, Tigress involuntarily winced,"Uhm...well, mother. You see...", she glanced at the jars of Viper's venom and sighed as she remembered their tasks,"Actually, we should probably wait until we get back from the Palace and Hall of Species. But as soon as we get back, you, Koru and I need to talk."

Jiu-Ne nodded, but was still feeling confused.

"So are you going to change?", asked the younger tiger as she glanced over Jiu-Ne's outfit.

Jiu-Ne raised an eyebrow,"These are your clothes you know. If you didn't want to wear something so tight in the chest area, why did you even buy it? And I need a sash if you're gonna hassle me about these pants."

Tigress rolled her eyes,"FIne, that will have to do. Come on, we need to leave.", she walked over to the double doors that led to the backyard and opened them before calling out,"Koru, are you ready?"

Koru nodded and did a series of jumps and flips over Mei Ling's ever growing garden before landing infront of the porch and walking back inside. Tigress' nose twitched and she groaned softly,"Actually, Koru, go take a bath. We are going to meet the King after all."

"Alright, but I'm out of clean clothes.", he replied as he walked passed the females, in the distance they could see that Mei Ling had been staring at Koru, and once she noticed they saw her, she blushed hard and looked back at the flowers.

"Take something from Tai- I mean Shiro's bag, then.", Tigress said as she rubbed her palm against her forehead from the slight headache that was coming up.

Koru waved a paw back at her without turning around to agknowledge what she said. After the male left, the two females walked into the sitting room and relaxed in wait. Tigress laid herself acrossed a blue couch with silver pillows as her paws clasped each other gently over her stomach and Jiu-Ne sat herself on one end of another couch with her legs tucked against her body and her back leaning against it's arm, facing the opposing wall.

Tigress began to study and admire the small dragon statues that were embedded in the mantel of the fireplace. A small part of her wanted to experience first hand what it was like to be a mystical dragon again, but she knew it would lead to a dead end. So the tiger merely closed her eyes in rememberance...of flying, of fighting, and of breathing amazing infernos into the sky.

Jiu-Ne eyed Tigress for a moment, and once Tigress closed her eyes, her mother spoke up."So...have you decided on what to name the baby?"

Tigress kept her eyes closed as she replied,"No, mom. We do not even know if it is a boy or a girl yet.", she smiled softly,"But I have some ideas."

"Such as?", Jiu-Ne said as she smiled as well and hugged her legs.

The young tiger cleared her throat as if decreeing some new law that should be obeyed,"If it's a girl, either Koka or Ai-Suru. If it's a boy, Kicho or Kenka-Suru."

"Very pretty names. Have you discussed this with Po yet?", she asked.

"No. But believe me, I'm dreading it.", Tigress curled her lip slightly to show her distaste.

"Why?", asked Jiu-Ne with her head crooked to the side.

"Because Yogan was terrible with names when we first started trying to conceive in the past, mother. He picked names like Jo-Jo Ni, and Boku, and I even remember once where he toyed with the idea of naming our child Kyokudo.", she opened her left eye slightly to look at her mother at that last name.

"That's not such a bad name.", replied Jiu-Ne with a nervous shrug while lowering her head to look at her feet. She was always nervous whenever Tigress mentioned her past life and probably always would, mainly because she felt even more insignificant around her daughter than she usually was.

"No, but the meaning of the name is ridiculous. I mean, how would you feel if you had a son named 'Extreme'? He'd turn out to be a vagabond or something.", she closed her eye again as she remembered a battle between the original Furious Five and the Army of Demon Mountain. Her tail swished back and forth with excitement, it was almost like watching an old play that she hadn't seen in years, yet it was like she was training in the art of her own experiences at the same time.

Jiu-Ne giggled,"I suppose that's true. Well no matter what you name him or her, I'm sure they'll turn out beautifully. I mean, look at their parents."

Tigress felt herself blushing in embarrassment from the compliment, she cleared her throat and tried to change the subject."So mother, uhm, where do you plan to stay after all this is over?"

Jiu-Ne raised her head to look at her daughter, she tried to sound cheerful,"Well, I guess I'll find someplace. Probably just 'sleep around'.", she chuckled nervously. She couldn't lie to her daughter. For one, she had already done enough to the child. And two she was pretty sure Tigress knew every detail of her life anyway after pulling out all of her memories. Then again, she didn't know about her late husband's name.

Tigress opened her eyes regrettably as she had been watching the moment when she flew above the great volcano with Yogan and Tsuka to battle with Bokyaku, the Phoenix King of Demons. She looked over at Jiu-Ne."Mother..."

"D-Do not worry about me, Hei-Wa, I can take care of myself.", she said as she forced a smile.

The younger tiger sat up and looked directly at her mother, her eyes narrowed some but they showed no malice, instead they screamed pleading,"Mother, stop. You are more than welcome to stay with us."

"I don't want to impose-", chuckled Jiu-Ne before she was interuppted.

"Then don't. You are not imposing. You are helping me with my child for the first few years of it's life. I do not know how to be a mother yet, so I will need your experience.", stated the Bengal tiger with a smile.

Jiu-Ne's face lit up with a nod,"A-Alright, if I won't be a burden-"

"You won't.", Tigress interuppted softly.

As she laid back down, Yunwei came walking down the stairs.

"How is she?", asked Tigress with shut eyes.

"Physically, she seems to be fine. Although her seizures have become more and more frequent. But there is no danger to her actual mental health. It's almost like someone formed a ball of wax around a lit candle, but the wax just wont melt to show the light.", said Yunwei with squinted eyes in confusion as she sat down in one of the plush chairs.

"Hm...", Tigress' ears lowered.

"What's wrong?", asked Yunwei.

"You remember what Po said? It'll be five more months until the Demon attacks. I wonder how long a body can last without it's soul. I mean, if she's seizing like this now, what's she going to do in a week? Maybe Tai Lung had the right idea...", she mumbled.

"Tai Lung?", asked Jiu-Ne and Yunwei in unison.

"Shiro."

"I-I thought you were merely jesting before.", blinked the older tiger,"This group just keeps getting weirder and weirder.", Jiu-Ne shook her head.

"You think _that's _weird, Mantis' uncle is the King of Theives!", said Monkey as he and Mantis came through the front door with two towers full of assorted food from fruits to vegatables to spices and meats.

Behind her eyelids, Tigress rolled her eyes.

"That was supposed to be a secret! Not cool, bro!", said Mantis as he set down the massive amount of food that had laid on top of the pallet he'd been carrying.

"Aw come on, everybody else knows anyways!", shrugged Monkey as he set his pile down with slightly more ease.

"Hardly! You, Tigress, Viper, Shifu and Crane! Po doesn't even know!", said Mantis.

"Alright, alright! Sorry!", Monkey put his paws up in defense.

Mantis grumbled and scurried slowly to the kitchen after picking his pile of food back up, Monkey soon following suit.

"Anyways, we need some help if we are to find out what to do about Song.", said Tigress.

"What do you suggest?", asked Yunwei.

"We'll have to find someone that is familiar with these types of mystical arts.", murmured Tigress. She was becoming more focused on the battle that was ensuing in her head.

A yawning Viper came slithering down the steps as she had begun to listen to the conversation, not that she had a choice,"Tigress, what about you? Didn't you learn about this type of stuff as Seika-", she yawned widely and covered her mouth with her tail,"Scuse me."

Tigress shook her head,"No, Viper. I can sense the presence of others, I can predict the weather, I can feel life all around me. But I cannot return someone's soul. If so, don't you think I would have released my own soul within myself a long time ago?"

"Not necissarily, Tigress.", Viper slid herself up to the back of the couch Tigress was laying on and allowed her body to lazily coil over it's fabric. Tigress opened her eyes softly to look at her," 'A locksmith cannot open the cell that traps him without his tools. But when he receives them, he is a free man'."

Tigress opened her eyes a little more,"Well...I-I guess I could try it...but I don't know, this could be dangerous. I think I'd feel a bit more confident in my abilities if I had a little more training."

"That's the spirit!", smiled Viper excitedly.

Tigress smiled up at her, sat up on her elbows, and called back to the kitchen,"Monkey!"

"Yeah?", she could hear him call back.

"Did Po teach you anything in the Spirit World?"

"Aside from getting my ass handed to me by demons? Yeah, a little."

Tigress rolled her eyes,"Anything about going to the Spirit World?"

"Eh...kinda?"

"Kinda, what do you mean ki-", she let out a frustrated growl and got up off of the couch before walking into the kitchen where Monkey and Mantis were putting the food away in their proper compartments. Viper slithered onto the spot where Tigress was laying and curled up from the warmth."What do you mean, 'kinda'?"

Monkey glanced back at her as he suspended himself from his tail by an iron bar that hung the skillets as he swung back and forth imbetween the piles of food and the cuboards."Well he taught me how to find someone and pinpoint their location, but I can't really pull us into the Spirit World like he can."

"So we have a navagator, we're just short a captain at the helm.", said Tigress as she leaned against the large doorway and crossed her arms.

"Exactly."

"Hm...", she narrowed her eyes and looked at the floor. She remembered feeling the unique Chi that she felt was familiar to her. Where had she felt that Chi before?

Monkey glanced at her again,"Something on your mind?"

"Yes, but it's...hey tell me something. Do you two remember meeting somebody that had this aura about them that was just...weird? Someone we've only known for a short time, yet they seem trusting?"

Monkey and Mantis looked at each other before looking back at Tigress.

"Sorry, I got nothin.", Mantis said and got back to putting away vegatables.

"I kinda know what ya mean. But I'm not sure. We've met a lot of people, Tigress.", said Monkey.

The tiger let out a quiet sigh through her nose,"Yeah. Okay. I guess we will just have to wait until Po gets back, then.", she said with a shrug.

Tigress then turned back to the direction of the sitting room, but not before noticing Mei Ling in the backyard still growing the flower bushes. She was sitting on her knees next to a budding bush. Her paws were outstretched as if she had accomplished a double palm strike, but kept her final positioning. Her eyes glowed a soft bluish hue; the bush's leaves were slowly but surely extending and spiraling around each other, eventually growing large enough to grow buds.

"Hmmm.", Tigress took a mental note before continuing to the sitting room where Crane had now just arrived. He was sitting in a chair nearest to the fireplace away from everyone else. And as Tigress entered the circle of furniture, she found out why."Ugh. Crane, what is up with that smell?", asked Tigress nasally as she pinched her nose and glared at the bird.

"Hey, you try carrying a dozen two day old carcasses and come out smelling like a bed of roses!", exclaimed Crane.

"Well go take a bath be-", the tiger froze on the spot and covered her mouth with her paw that was pinching her nose before running out into the backyard and vomitting just over the side of the porch.

Everyone grimaced, then looked at Crane. He sighed and stood up,"Alright, I'm goin, I'm goin.", he began to walk to the stairs.

Jiu-Ne called out to the bird as he ascended the steps,"Make sure to knock before going into any bathrooms, Koru is taking a bath too."

Yunwei perked up her ears and glanced at the staircase."Oh?"

Viper rolled her eyes,"Go on.", she didn't even finish her sad excuse for a sentence before Yunwei got up and hurriedly ran up the stairs.

"Seems like I'm the only one who's actually going to be presentable to the King.", chuckled the old tiger,"Ironic."

"Well you kind of have an excuse to not really look all that formal, I mean you _did _sleep with him.", shrugged the snake uneasily.

"I know, but...well lions are always so proud. Understandably so.", she yawned, not noticing Viper's expression of confusion and shock.

"Wait, I thought you slept with the king!"

"I did. King Hogoneipai, the lion.", blinked Jiu-Ne.

"Nooooo, King Hogoneipai the _panther_!", retorted Viper.

The snake and tiger looked at each other, then Viper took off outside.

"Tigress!", the snake stopped beside the huddled over female at the edge of the porch. She was still gagging and coughing, her body shaking all over.

"Wh...wha-what is it, V-Vip-per?", she coughed and started to vomit again.

"Uhm...well you know how your mom slept with the king?", said Viper as she rubbed the back of her head nervously.

"Y...yeah?", Tigress raised her head to look at her sister, still shaking softly.

"Well...your mom says he was a lion.", she cringed as she saw Tigress' reaction.

Tigress' eyes went wide. She wiped her mouth and spit at the ground below before standing up, her legs still shaking as she walked back into the palace wearily,"E-Everybody...go get your things and start packing.", she walked over to the sitting room and sat down on the couch beside her mother, panting.

Monkey and Mantis came running from the kitchen,"What's wrong? Why are we leaving and where are we going?", asked Mantis as he hopped up on the arm of the couch.

"I'll tell you later, now go!", she pointed to the stairs, making Mantis, Viper and Monkey head up the stairs.

"Hei-Wa, sweetie, what's wrong?", Jiu-Ne asked her daughter, scooting closer to hug her.

"I said later, mom. Could you get me some water, please?", panted Tigress softly. Jiu-Ne nodded and got up to run to the kitchen.

Tigress slowed her breathing and closed her eyes in thought. Did Oogway...no, he could not have betrayed them. Unless...

Tigress opened her glowing red eyes as she tried to reach Po's mind at her realization.

_With Po_

He ran. He ran fast. Faster than he'd ever ran. His feet were not a blur anymore. They were nonexistant below his waist. His feet cut through the grassy plains; the blades turned to flame like a match against rough surface. He trampled up and over the mountains in a straight line, causing a cloud of steam to spread behind him. He ran through the snow at top speed, eventually coming to a cliff. Always the innovator, Po did not hesitate. If anything he ran faster into the cliff that showed a gap of thousands of feet with a valley of snow and darkness below. He jumped at top speed, launching himself into the air. It was an amazing feet for anyone. He watched as he passed through the encircling mountains around him. The freezing winds avoiding him to keep from being destroyed in the amount of body heat his spiritual powers combined had created. Po watched as he began his desent. It would be quick, and he needed to find somewhere to land safely. His Feral Eye spotted his chance for survival; a lone tree jutting out the smooth side of a mountain.

Performing a series of forward flips, he extended his hangtime. Satisfied with the distance he covered, the panda aimed himself for the tree as the mountain it was attached to had no other areas to land on. So he decided to create one.

His paws began to blur from an invisible heat around them. As he desended towards the tree, Po shut his eyes. This was gonna hurt.

In the distant village where Koru and Yunwei originated, the female citizens saw and heard the commotion. A massive cloud of snow, dust and steam burst from the mountainside, followed by a loud crack echoed throughout the mountains as if a thunderstorm was passing through.

Po coughed and panted as he sat in his newly made crater. He took a sip of water that had melted from the snow in a large puddle before him. Then the panda immediately shot up and walked to the end of his 'cave'. He looked up at the top of the mountain he was standing in, debating how to continue his journey without falling to the bottom. He had just shaved almost an hour off of his travel time by jumping that cliff, but he couldn't afford any set backs. Otherwise it would have all been for nothing.

Suddenly, his ear twitched when the sound of cracking filled his mind again. He looked behind him; a gigantic crack was forming within the cave.

"Oh shit.", was all he could utter before jumping out to the tree and launching himself from it's thick branches. This coupled with his Gravity Bump caused him to fly into the air to witness the mountaintop crumble and shatter into the snow and rock version of a tsunami. Taking his chances, he maneuvered himself forward with the kicking of his feet. He fell into the cloud of snowy abyss only to hit nothing but the cloud when he landed on a hill on the other side.

He did his best to keep from ragdolling, he really did. But it was too much. Before long he was mimicking his actions when he and the Five were traveling to Gongmen City as his body quickly formed a giant snowball.

Luckily his eye caught a large flat surface standing infront of his uncontrollable path. Unluckily that surface was made of stone. Luckily he stopped. Unluckily his back made contact with the stone with a loud smack.

Po groaned and rubbed his back as he stood up and leaned on the rock."Damn if that didn't hurt.", he sighed and allowed his paw to glow a blueish hue as it hovered over his reddened skin under his white fur. He made short work of the minor injury as his back healed instantly.

"Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow, ow, ow, ow, owowowowowowowowowow!", he desperately waved the paw that healed him as the pads on his paw began to turn red. He winced in pain and hopped up and down as he continued his 'ow's.

Once the pain subsided, or at least faded into a tolerable pain, he took off and regained his unbelievable pace.

His feet were getting sore already, but he would not stop. Once his desent down the mountains found the forest at it's foot, he jumped over the trees and landed in the midst of the town. Not even bothering to acknowledge the confused citizens, he made a dash for the mountain on the other side. This could be a problem. He stared into the darkness of the Wallower's Cave. He knew there was no way through now. So he would either have to go around or...

He turned his head back to he forest surrounding the clearing. With a deep breath he made his decision and began running through the trees that slowly began to grow in both height and width. he shuddered as his ears picked up on the sounds of the bats around him, hearing their screeching cries in the treetops.

He picked up his speed. No way did he have the time nor the energy to spare spilling their blood in this forest. But that didn't stop him from having a little fun. His paws quickly burned again, and with his claws extended and his eyes glowing red, he clawed at every tree he passed. This indeed gave him some entertainment as he heard the cries from the bat people once the fires he created spread through the trees.

With a soft chuckle he ran out of the forest and stormed through the fields. But then he stopped his laughter in memory of Jiu-Ne's request. And he knew that he would soon be near Bao Gu.

_With Tigress_

A soft wind of aggravation passed through her soft lips. She held the cold surface of glass in her paw against her forehead."This is insane, I can't even lock onto his Chi. He's moving so fast, he's almost within the Valley of Peace already."

"So what are we going to do? Just..leave?", asked the bug on her shoulder. Everyone was now packed and sitting in the sitting room with their bags beside them. Song was still up in her room. Yunwei was looking down at her feet the entire time, yet she held a small smile when Koru put his arm around her.

Tigress shook her head,"No, we have business to take care of first. But as soon as we're done, yes, we are leaving."

"What business?", asked Yunwei when she spoke up for the first time since Tigress and Viper explained the situation.

"Koru, mother and I have to go to the Hall of Species. Aside from that, we just have to get out of here alive.", Tigress eyed the wolf. Yunwei was looking especially guilty and uneasy."What's wrong?"

"I...I just feel that we should wait for Po, is all. I mean, he's the father of your child, we can't leave him behind.", replied Yunwei in an unconvincing tone.

The tiger kept her gaze on Yunwei, but nodded slowly,"It's alright, Dr. Kimeru, Po can lock onto my Chi signature. He'll find us without much trouble no matter where we go. Besides, I will try to lock in on his Chi periodically. Perhaps by the time we get back Po will have a better plan for us."

Yunwei nodded and looked down, not changing her expression of worry.

"Now Koru, mother, come on. We need to hurry.", the tiger said standing as the other tigers followed suit, nodding."Mei Ling, start picking those flowers and wrap them in bouquets. We need to be able to leave with them as soon as we return. The same goes with the food. Monkey, Mantis, Crane, start packing rations and water. Pack us enough food for two weeks."

With a nod from everyone mentioned, the three tigers ran out of the building.

"So where is the Hall of Species anyway?", asked Tigress.

Jiu-Ne, who had lived here half her life, looked at her surroundings after they ran through the common courtyard imbetween the Dragon Palace and Rabbit Palace. She made a left turn after calling back,"Follow me!"

The two young ones followed Jiu-Ne to a large golden tower. It almost looked like a giant organ with it's intricate pipes shooting up into the sky along the corners and roof. Jiu-Ne slid to a stop, panting when she saw what was infront of her.

Standing before the gated entrance to the Hall of Species stood twenty gaurds. Ten rhinos in the back held swords; ten pigs in the front held spears directed at the three.

"Mother...", growled Tigress as she got into a defensive stance on her mother's left side with Koru on Jiu-Ne's right.

"Yes?", asked Jiu-Ne warily, keeping her eyes on the enemy.

"Can you fight in the least?"

Jiu-Ne shook her head. Suddenly, Koru put his tonfas in her paws before sliding his bo staff out from behind him from it's tightly wound strap on his back.

"Run back to the palace, mother.", growled the daughter.

When Jiu-Ne stood her ground, a shout made her turn on her heels and run,"NOW!", roared the son; simultaneously lunging forward with his sister into the guards' perimeter.

Tigress dashed into the group, kicking two rhinos in the head with a split kick, then doing a forward flip and digging her long claws into their shoulders for control in her leap. Once she landed on her feet, she let go of the falling rhinos, slid to her knees and swung her legs to sweep them under three of the unsuspecting pigs.

Koru slammed his staff into the ground, causing the stone to crack and the ground to tremble as he used the leverage to jump over the spears and spin kick a rhino in the face, causing a domino effect into two other rhinos. Once he landed, he pulled the spears down that were pointed at him to the ground with his staff and stomped on the rod to pin down the weapons. With the crack of his knuckles he unsheathed his claws and began the slaughtering of the five pigs before him.

With every pig she had tripped, Tigress slammed a paw into their diaphragm; blocking their Chi flow to essentially put them in a coma. The tiger rolled backwards when a sword swung down at her and kicked the attacking rhino in the arch between his legs. A squeal emitted from the felled rhino as his attacker took a leap up onto his back and rolled down to perform a double kick into the stomach of the rhino behind the downed guard.

The white tiger blocked the swords swinging at his throat with his claws, but quickly used the momentum to redirect the swings into the adjoining guards' stomachs. Once the blades were embedded, Koru slammed the back of his fist into a rhino that snuck up behind him.

The two tigers made short work of the rest. With squeals of pain and grunts of defeat the guards all fell. Tigress and Koru did not hesitate to continue as Tigress swung open the giant golden double doors by it's brass handles. What they saw next amazed them.

The siblings stepped inside slowly, looking around in wonder. The place was empty of life, but full of knowledge. The walls were literally made up of shelves upon shelves upon shelves of scrolls. But that wasn't all. before the front door to the Hall were two winding stairs that led to an open second floor. Every bit of the floor and stairs and shelves were made entirely out of white marble. There were shelves that created almost a maze in the first floor. And the second floor was no different. There were practically thousands of shelves that dwarfed the shelves that held the Thousand Scrolls of Kung Fu. Each shelf held names in alphebetical order with a single character at the top of each shelf.

Once Tigress noticed the charachters, she cursed under her breath."I forgot to ask mother what our last name was.", she sighed in exasperation and closed her eyes as she attempted to search through her mother's memories.

"_Our_ last name? How would she know my last name?", asked the white tiger.

Tigress turned around to face him and sighed,"Koru...how many tigers have you seen in your life?"

"Aside from myself, three. You, Jiu-Ne and my master."

"Y-wait, your master was a tiger?"

"Yes, why?", he asked. His eyes narrowed at the female.

"Well...", she closed her eyes once more as her eyes glowed softly."I-I think...Jiu-Ne is..."

"Is...what, my mother?", he laughed softly,"Please, she looks nothing like me."

"What did your _master _look like, then?", her eyes still glowed as she opened them slightly to gaze at the tiger in front of her.

Slowly Koru's experienced mind got to work. His master looked exactly like him, save for his yellow eyes and slightly shorter stature. He had always suspected as much. Which was why he never attempted to run away. At least not permanently.

He shut his eyes and growled lowly at the pain in his chest at this confirmation. The feeling that his mother was so close and never searched for him...never even tried to see if he was okay. The fact that she had not even realized it, even with the scarcity of tigers in this part of the country. Even she must not want him.

As if reading his thoughts, though his pained growl helped severely, Tigress put a paw on his shoulder,"Koru, she could not look for you. She had many problems financially, and...Koru, she's had a very bad life.", Koru looked at her with a frown; tears brimming his eyes as if he was trying to keep them in. Tigress smiled softly,"If it's any consolation, Koru, you have a sister that accepts you."

He nodded quickly and looked down. With a deep breath the larger tiger blinked his tears away and cleared his throat as he looked around,"So what is...our last name?"

"I think it's...Oka...Ok...kow, kon...", Tigress rubbed her temples as she concentrated as hard as she could, remembering the sight of the home she was born in. The tapestry and...some sort of sash her father wore. They said...they said...

_With Po_

"'_Pride of the Oken. We call upon the ones held dear and give them our arms for guards, our fangs for defense, and our hearts for protection. We are the Oken_.' Whoa...", Po studied the sash as if he were holding a great treasure; which to him it certainly was. The sash was a dark velvety gold with red inseams on the side. There was a black text in kanji over the front that held the words he just spoke, followed by a small painting of a blossom tree with moutains in the distance below said writing. The cloth was certainly old, but with the high quality it was made with it was quite durable. Po wrapped it around his body over his right shoulder and around his torso so that the kanji and painting showed in the front. He immediately felt stronger, as though the spirits of tigers passed were entering into him and granting him their courage.

Po stood up straight from his kneeling position on the cliffside and looked out over the village with sorrow in his heart. It reminded him so much of the old village where he was born. Burnt homes here, buildings torn asunder there. And in the middle of the village there was even a large oblong circle of bare dirt. Obviously a place where the dead had been gotten rid of. He released a sigh and bowed low to his new ancient family's burial grounds. A twinge of regret pulled at his heart when he remembered how he had not done as such for his own people's burial grounds. But no matter, he would on his way back wih his father.

Po turned around and hopped up the jagged rocks that stuck out of the cliffs until he made it to the top of the great upward bend of earth. Once he looked over the familiar road ahead, he began to take off, but stopped himself when he heard a whisper.

"What the hell...", he muttered and looked around."Tigress?"

The whisper became stronger, more distinguishable, though it gave a creepy echo.

_"Po, meditate!"_

"Er...whatever you say, hun...", he squinted his eyes uneasily and sat down, getting into the Lotus Position. He shut his eyes and went into his meditation trance, focusing on Tigress' Chi.

_Inside the mental plane_

Po opened his eyes to a world of darkness. Yet there were tiny white lights all around him. It almot looked like he was one with the sky and surrounded by stars. One in the distance was strangely yellow, followed by one made of a blood red and another that had a red with a brownish tint. Before Po could study the lights further, a pure white light shown behind him. He spun around and smiled wide.

"Hey, hun!", he said enthusiastically.

"Don't you 'Hey hun' me, why the hell have you been running so fast? I mean I know why, but I couldn't even get a lock on you!", yelled Tigress as the light that transported her to the mental plane vanished behind her. She looked agitated, her arms crossed.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were trying to contact me!", shot back Po as he scratched the back of his head.

Tigress closed her eyes and shook her head with a sigh,"No matter, we've got problems."

"What's wrong?", he said in a serious tone.

Tigress immediately told him about the events since he left. Tai Lung's disappearance, Viper's idea, the false king, and Jiu-Ne and Koru's relationship. Not to mention their location and the trouble it took.

"Okay, well...damn.", he whispered and crossed his arms as well in deep thought with a glare down infront of the darkness under his feet.

"So should we leave? I mean, if we do there's no turning back. If we leave...we're going to the Imperial City. At least there we have a chance that the royal family doesn't want us dead."

Po acknowledged what she said with a brief nod in her direction and a soft grunt, but kept his gaze down. After a minute of delving into his thoughts, he looked straight at Tigress once more,"Well...go ahead and wait until I get back. At the very least we need to find out where the real king is. I'll go ahead and talk to Master Oogway once I get to dad's shop."

"Fine. But I don't like this...", her ears perked up,"Oh by the way, you went by Bao Gu right?"

"Yeah?"

"Did my records show what my last name was? I keep trying to figure it out, but nothing is coming up."

"Actually yeah it was on your family's ancestral sash. Oken."

"Hei-Wa Oken...", Tigress breathed deeply and allowed a sigh almost out of relief from finding her real full name after all these years.

He nodded again,"How are you feeling?"

She sighed again and shrugged,"Alright, but I threw up again. Crane came over and...", she put her paw over her mouth and shut her eyes. She waved her other paw dismissively,"I'll tell you later."

"Okay. Well, I need to keep going. See you soon, babe. Love you."

"Love you too, be careful. Moeru is tricky, always has been. And even though you're stronger now, so is she.", said Tigress with concern in her eyes for her lover.

"I'll keep that in mind, but I'm not really going to give her a chance to attack."

She nodded,"Bye."

The tiger vanished in another light as Po did the same.

_With Tigress and Koru_

Tigress opened her eyes and stood from her seated position. Koru looked at her anxiously.

"Well?", he said, though he sounded much colder than was his intent.

"It's Oken, Koru.", replied the female as she walked away from him towards the shelves holding scrolls that held information on families starting with O. She skimmed her paw over the scrolls. They all started with 'Oa'. She looked ahead and ran forward. Passed the 'Ob's, the 'Oc's...damn there were a lot of scrolls. She finally caught the 'Ok's."Let's see...Okama...Okamu...Okan...Okbur, what the hell? Here we are, Oken.", she grabbed the scroll and shoved it gently into her satchel.

"Not to be a ball buster, but didn't you say Po was adopted? How are we going to find his?", said Koru.

The female growled softly under her breath"I was trying to keep...that thought from...my mind...", her voice as well as her growl trailed off as she noticed a distant doorway with a large lock on it. Above in gold lettering it said 'Hall of Endangered Species'. She shook her head. They would have to go through there last. On to Moeru, that was the real reason they came.

The two ran back closer to the door until they reached the 'M's. Tigress ran her fingers over the delicate scrolls until she reached her destination. There were three seperate scrolls for Moeru, all with different crests on the side. She grabbed the one with the symbol that matched Oogway's letter and quickly opened it up. Koru looked over her shoulder eagerly.

It was a small scroll of a family tree. It held names, many that were unreadable as Tigress had no idea how to pronounce them. But once they reached the bottom, Tigress' heart practically stopped. Under Moeru's name...there was another...

_With Po_

Po threw his legs into the wind as his jump from the jagged hills allowed him to descend into the forests that bordered the village he knew so well. He swiftly flew passed the trees and stopped at the open gate. As he walked through the gate of the village he noticed a few odd things. For one, the village was deserted. Two he smelled burning food, as if someone just put on a pot of noodles and left it there for hours. And three...the Jade Palace in the distance was...darker somehow.

Po shook his head as he walked the streets, smacking himself mentally at how naive he had been. Of course Moeru wouldn't leave the villagers alone. He just prayed that she kept them alive. It was a good sign that he literally saw no sign of anybody. No blood, no bodies, no bones. He looked to his right and saw that there was no sign of his dad. Another good sign, if not a little bitter sweet. He reached the bottom of the Thousand Steps and glared at the sight before him.

"Moeru! Get your ass down here!", he yelled. His shout created an eerie echo in the once bustling village.

He heard a voice in the distance follow a teasing laugh,"Shucks, the Dragon Warrior figured out my name. Who told you, Oogway?", she spat.

"Aw, Moeru, don'tcha recognise me? Not even my voice?", he spat back teasingly.

There was a moment of silence before he saw three figures jump through the Jade Palace gates and land infront of him without so much as a sound. They stood there, all felines, all female. They smiled at him, but showed a burning anger that betrayed the curves of their lips.

One stood the closest to Po standing on the third and forth step facing his right side, but she kept her eyes on him. She was a black panther with disgustingly purple eyes. She wore a purple robe with no arms and a black sash around her waist. She wore simple sandles on her feet.

The second stood on the seventh and eighth steps and was facing his left. She glared forward as if she did not want to look at Po. She had a mesh of reddish/orange and tan fur with a pink salmon hue for her irises. She wore a black dress that was cut just above her knees; her dress was also backless and the front was held up by a choker with a blue diamond in it's center. She wore black boots like a fisherman would wear.

Finally the third stood at the tenth step and faced Po completely. She was a red furred lion with scarlet eyes. She wore a golden robe that was wrapped to her body by a black sash. She wore nothing on her feet. She had her arms crossed and was now glaring at the panda.

"What did you say, panda?", spat Moeru. Surprisingly enough, Po did not feel intimidated by her presence. In fact he felt strangely releived that he could now see her face to face.

"Don't you recognise me? It's me, Yogan.", smirked Po.

Moeru hissed,"Don't you _dare _say that name to me, panda! Y-", she stopped her words as he nose twitched when the breeze that came from behind him travelled up the steps. Her eyes widened. Her features softened greatly."My, my, isn't this a pleasant surprise?", she purred.

Po tensed up at this sudden change in behavior.

"I mean, I knew you had spoken of it to Se...Se...Seikaku, but I never would have imagined you to actually go through with binding yourself to another body.", said Moeru as she slowly stepped down to him, never looking away."You have changed, lover."

Po took a step back,"'Lover'? Whoa, whoa, whoa, who do you think you're talkin' to? Seikaku is my lover, not you!"

"Ah, but she is no longer on this plane.", purred the lion as she slid her fingers through the fur on the back of his neck,"And as long as her soul is trapped in the next life, I have the ability to finally be with you, my love.", she whispered the final words as her eyes glowed a feirce red and stared back into his.

Po grunted and shook his head as he felt her spell trying to slip into his mind."It will not work, Moeru. I have gotten stronger."

Moeru smirked and raised a brow,"As have I, my love, as have I. We have a lot of...catching up to do. But before we continue our little discussion, I feel that you deserve to know something. Or to be a little more accurate...someone.", she turned around with her arm around Po's neck. He followed her gaze to the orangish tan creature, who huffed in annoyance and looked at him, her eyes reflecting into his as they changed from pink to green."Yogan...meet our daughter...", seethed Moeru with a sinister smile.

And suddenly Po's world turned black.


	31. Chapter 31: Whispers In The Dark

Chapter 31: Whispers In The Dark

Slowly Po stirred in his unconcious state. A groan of pain, though merely emotional, wrenched from his throat. He began to have dreams. Lucid dreams. Memories.

_Two felines were in the throws of passion yet again. Their eyes glowed scarlet and jade as they looked at each other, pressing their lips upon each other's lips, face and neck. Their breathing was heavy. The gentle carress of their paws egged them on as each explored the other's body._

_Purr after purr eminated from the two. With the swishing of their tails intertwined the tiger grabbed the lion's rear. The lion's whiskers twitched in lustful reaction when her throat unleashed a begging mewl. Her tongue slid passed her shining fangs and flicked against the side of the male's neck. The tiger shuddered and allowed his claws to press gently into the lion's hips. The lion's gentle lick became a firm nibble from the heightening of passion._

_But suddenly the tiger stopped his affectionate mannerisms and panted softly. His eyes were now closed as his mate kissed his bottom lip and petted his neck,"What's wrong?"_

_"We have to stop this...", he responded as his soft eyes opened to look at her; his green orbs still twinkled despite the current weather._

_"We've talked about this. You can only be with me, Yogan.", said Moeru, continually carressing his neck; her eyes glowed a soft shade of ruby. She pressed herself against the tiger while practically pinning him against the wall outside the palace. The night was calm, yet a storm brewed on the horizon as clouds filled the sky above them and darkened their already shady spot to converse._

_"But-. I-I r...really like someone else, Moeru. I can't...I can't do this anymore...", whispered Yogan._

_Moeru looked up at him with tears in her eyes,"But sh-she's a dragon! You could never have a future together! How could she even bear your children!"_

_"I don't care about that! Yes, I want to be a father, but...", Yogan lowered his head,"I don't want...to be with someone just because it seems natural..."_

_Moeru swallowed a lump in her throat,"Is that the only reason? Because we are both feline?"_

_Yogan shook his head, refusing to look at her. He managed to utter a shaky whisper,"You know damn well that's not the only reason...", the female gasped softly.._

_"But I can change, Yogan!", the lion shook her mate by his collar, trying to meet his eyes."Please! I-I did not mean anything by it, I only wanted to be with yo-!"_

_"You slaughtered them!", shouted Yogan as he snapped his head up to look at her through his angry, tear-filled eyes. Moeru inched away from him to study him more thoroughly, yet her fiery arms did not stop their clinging for the one she cared so much for. She had never seen Yogan so mad. She took a lung full of air and straightened up to regain her composure to an extent._

_Her voice was wavy and cracked, yet she did not cry,"I did what I had to. They insulted your honor and it was a necissary sacrifice to defend your title."_

_"And therein lies the persona I cannot stand. Moeru, you are beautiful. But so is Seikaku. And unlike you, her heart does not bask in the glory of the dead.", Yogan coldly spat._

_"So what are you saying?", the lion sniffled and trembled slightly in her stance, attempting to stay strong._

_"I am saying that we shall never be together, not ever again. Find yourself another pawn.", he said as he pushed her away and walked off with the rolling sounds of thunder echoing throughout the Valley._

_Moeru's irises darted across the sight of the leaving tiger before her and stepped forward,"But I love you!"_

_Yogan spun around on his heels,"You dare speak of love! Love is not a toy! Love is choice! Love is TRUST!", he roared. Even with his kind soul he was still a tiger; and his short fuse was burning quickly._

_Moeru slammed her fist weakly into the stone wall at her left. She bowed her head and fell to her knees."I only...I only wanted your love...", she whispered in shudder._

_Yogan's toes dug into the ground in anger,"Well you will never have it.", he said in a whisper._

_Moeru's eyes widened, his words that slid over her like a blizzard echoing into her mind. She hugged herself and lowered her head to the ground until her forehead pressed to the dirt. Her eyes widened still as it felt as though he had torn her intestines out of her throat. The pain was unbearable. Yogan shut his eyes, turned around and stormed off as the rain began to fall like the tears she was now pooled in._

Po awoke with a start as he sat up in his bed, panting. He looked around at the surrounding darkness. He felt his chest. Good, the sash was still there. He felt the rest of his body. Not a single restraint. He attempted to peer at his surroundings. It was pitch black, yet the room he was in seemed strangely familiar. Wait a minute...

Slowly his legs swung outward over the side of the bed. He inched his feet closer and closer to the floor. His ear twitched in suspicion as he got ready for the expected sound. His hind paws pressed against the hard wood floor, the plank below his right foot groaned softly. Po closed his eyes for a moment. He was in his old room at the Jade Palace. He opened his eyes again as they glowed red. A soft gasp caused his heightened senses to snap his head to his left.

There was another in the room. A now familiar creature. The teenage liger he had seen just before blacking out. He glared at her and looked back at the closed door infront of him.

"And what do _you _want?", the panda said bitterly.

He could see the liger flinch out of the corner of his eye,"Ouch. You couldn't at least _act _like you're happy to see me?", the female looked down with a frown.

"Well I don't exactly know you, if that's what you mean.", retorted Po.

"You don't believe it's true-?"

"No I don't."

"Well...i-it is true. I mean...damn it, I told myself I wouldn't do this...", she sniffled and wiped her tears.

Po looked directly at her.

"I mean of course you wouldn't believe it, it's not like we have a lot of proof! But...I've lived just as long as mom has now, and..."

The panda sighed and looked down."It's not exactly an easy thing to prove. I mean, she could have mated with some other tiger after she left."

The liger shook her head,"No, she says that there were no other tan colored tigers. She says it's one of the things that made you unique."

He scoffed,"Yeah."

"If you don't believe me, then at least...at least believe this.", her paw gently slid over the diamond on her choker. Po looked at her, then the diamond. His eyes closed halfway in inspection. The precious gem was half the size of a dumpling. It was shaped normally, six points with elongated edges on the top and bottom. But on the sides there were two jagged hooks on each of the four main sides. They looked almost like legs.

"Is that..."

"The Arachnid Stone. The jewel that holds the power to change color when one lies.", the stone then changed from blue to a teal. She huffed,"Okay, okay, fine. It changes color when it senses deception in one's voice. God, you're so technical! I swear, ignorance is bliss with this thing.", she muttered that last sentence.

"Wait...before I passed out, your eye color changed. Doesn't that mean that you felt like you were deceiving me when Moeru said that you were my daughter?"

"No, that's just a magic trick I learned under the study of some scrolls mom found decades ago.", sighed the liger impassively.

Po stood up and gazed at the stone,"Are you my daughter, the daughter of Yogan and Moeru?"

"Yes.", she replied. The stone did not change color in the slightest. Po felt his heart pulling at him from all sides as he sat on his bed and looked at the floor. This was a little too much to take in.

"So I...have a daughter. I've had one all these years."

The liger smiled a bit and nodded,"Yeah..."

Po closed his eyes,"So what now?"

"Now? Well...I guess we could hug or something, I mean...this is kinda a big deal to me."

"Not that. What is Moeru doing? And where is my friend's soul?", he turned his head and looked at the diamond again to make sure she told the truth.

"Mom's in the Hall of Heroes like she's been practically every minute since we got here. And I'm sorry, I don't know where your friend's soul is.", the jewel turned pink. She sighed,"Okay I don't know _where _she is, but I know who _does_."

"Who? Wait, don't tell me...the panther.", he stood up when she nodded and opened the door.

"W-wait!"

He stopped, but did not turn around,"What?"

"Well...I mean...you just found out you have a daughter, and...you won't even...", she slammed her fist into her leg,"Damn it...", she wiped her eyes with her other arm.

Po looked down at the floor feeling incredibly guilty."I'm sorry, it's just...there's a lot of business I have to take care of with your mom. Among other things..."

"F-Fine...go. It's not like I give a shit about finally finding you!", sobbed the liger as tears ran down her face.

He turned around and looked at her. She now sat with her back to him, hunched over with bristled fur on the back of her neck. But you could see the brightly glowing red light coming from the jewel. His heart sank like a stone. He quickly walked over to her, pulled her to her feet, put his big arms around her and hugged her tight. The girl cried into the fur of his neck and hugged him back.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you...but I never knew...", he said, tears running down his cheeks.

"I know...I know...", sniffled the girl."But can we...please have a relationship now? Dad?"

He felt his heart skip slightly at being called that name. He smiled and nodded,"Of course.", he pulled from the hug slightly to smile at her and to wipe away the tears on her cheeks,"But I'm going to have to know your name first."

The liger laughed a bit and wiped her eyes with the back of her finger with a smile at her father,"I-It's Saisei."

"it's a pleasure to meet you, Saisei. I've got to hand it to Moeru, that was a pretty name she picked out.", smiled Po.

Saisei blushed in embarrassment and shrugged with a small smile,"Th-thank you."

Po nodded, then frowned a little,"Now Saisei...I know you're not going to like this, but...your mom has to be stopped. You know that, right?"

"I know, but...is there any way you can just...capture her?"

Po shook his head,"No, I'm sorry. She's hurt too many people."

Saisei looked down and bobbed her sheepish head."Are you leaving? Because...I-I don't think I could..stay here any longer."

Po turned around, letting go of his grasp on his daughter."I travel fast, Saisei, and I still have another I need to take with me back to my home."

He could feel the female trembling, though they were without any physical contact at the moment. The panda turned around and hugged her again,"I promise you, Saisei. I will come back for you."

She buried her face into his neck once more, breathing in her father's comforting scent. She lay her already lowered ears flat against her skull and whimpered,"I...I can perform magic. If you slow down, I could help defend you and your friend."

"Honey, that isn't it at all.", spoke Po softly into the cat's ear whilst his paws carressed her back in a consoling and tender pull."I have to be back. My comrades and fiancee are waiting for me, they need me."

"And I don't need you?", she squeezed tighter in the hug.

His lips formed a smile at her,"Of course you don't. I can tell how strong you are, Saisei.", his frown kicked the smile out of it's quarters when she squeezed even tighter,"Why do you want to leave your mom so badly? You barely know me."

"Dad, it's really...hard to explain right now. But let's just say that mom has a spell on me. Okay?", the daughter looked up at the father with hopeful eyes. The father heaved a heavy sigh.

"Okay. Okay, if you can hold on to me as tightly as you are now, I suppose you can make the trip. But we have to leave right away. Now where are the villagers?"

Saisei's expression formed from a look of satisfaction to one of worry and sorrow. Her fangs almost pierced her bottom lip."Erm..."

Po let go of her and chuckled nervously, shaking his head as he took a step back."No. No, she didn't. She-she didn't!", he glared at the liger, then looked at the stone as her lips moved.

"She sent them...'away'.", the jewel glowed a bright pink.

"Away as in...?"

Saisei scratched under her ear on the left side of her head, her head now turned slightly as she glanced back and forth between the panda and the floor, shaking her head nervously with an occasional shrug; she opened her mouth and closed it in a series of occasions as if she wanted to actually say the words, but she could not bring herself to say them. Saisei closed her eyes as she felt the Chi building in her father.

Po let out a feral growl of pain and sadness, his eyes bolted shut. But as his muscles twitched and throbbed, itching to be used in battle, they slowly calmed from the warm embrace of a feline. Po opened his eyes. Saisei was still standing there with her eyes still closed. He looked at the arms around him. His muscles tensed and throbbed again when he saw the burning red fur that graced the beautiful cat behind him. Saisei opened her eyes when she heard the voice.

"Awwww, so I take it you were close to some of the people here? Well too bad, Yogan. I divided them up. I divied them amongst the masses that will soon be the entire Chinese populace.", Moeru smiled and purred when she felt his muscles contract and pulsate. She leaned up and whispered in his ear."Mmmmm. You seem mad, lover. Then come on. Lash out. Give our daughter a show of what power really is between the two true rulers of-Ugh!"

Moeru flew through the wall into Viper's old room when Po slammed the back of his fist into her nose. Po's glowing red eyes looked straight into Saisei's pink ones. On nervous instinct, the feline's eyes glowed red to mimick his.

"Saisei, do me a favor. Run back to the village until I arrive. Mommy and daddy are about to have a little spat.", said the panda in a dark voice. Saisei quickly nodded and ran past him down the hall.

Just as Po turned around he met the fist of Moeru in his left cheek, followed by her sickening cackle."That's it, lover, that's it!", she went to strike him again, but surprisingly enough he allowed the force of her hit to send him through the wall outside of the barracks. She dashed to the massive hole in the wall and looked for any sign of him. Suddenly she felt two large paws around her throat. Desperately gasping for air, she looked up and smirked at Po. She allowed him to hold her weight by the throat and swung back and forth until her momentum allowed her to swing up to him and kick him in the chest.

Po let go of her and slid over the wooden roof, sending plank after plank off of their frames. Moeru landed on her feet from the spin and quickly closed the gap between them with a side swiping tornado kick. Po caught her leg, the force of the catch in his paw creating a small gust around the opponents, and started palm thrusting into her stomach and face once she landed on her other foot, all of which she blocked and redirected.

"Tell me Yogan...could Seikaku ever...give you this much of a challenge?", panted Moeru with a smile, her fangs shining in the bright moonlight above as her blocking became more advanced. She started going on the offensive as she blocked his strikes with one paw and began to attack with the other.

Po smirked,"You kiddin?", he blocked both of her strikes by grabbing one of her wrists and redirecting the other with his forearm. They both paused for a moment,"She still does."

Moeru's eyes widened and she let out a hiss."She's back?", yelled the lion.

"You bet your ass she is, and she's more of a warrior than you'll ever be. You should really be mad at that panther spy of yours, she could have found out so easily.", said Po before sending a left hook into her chest while letting go of her limbs. She used this moment to chant at record speed. Her lips moved so fast that they looked a blur. And then for some reason Po slowed down to the speed of a snail.

Moeru smiled and lifted herself up onto his strong arm until she balanced herself on top. Still moving, Po tried to retract his arm, but it still moved as if covered with super sticky molasses. Moeru crouched down and whispered through her glowing scarlet eyes."This may be, lover. But my magic has been and always will be superior to hers. Remember that when you go crawling back to her on your knees begging for forgiveness."

When Po's eyes darted over her form in confusion she continued,"That little memory that played in your head before? I sent it to her Chi signature. It makes sense now, I wondered why it felt so strong for being in the Spirit World. And since you cannot prove that it was, infact, _before _your little relationship that we broke up, she will no doubt hold you responsible. And I will be here waiting for you with open arms.", she kissed Po on the lips and purred."Mmmm. Too bad my kiss will not work on you with her on this plane. Oh well, I will see you again soon enough.", she said impassively before swinging her left leg back far behind her,"Goodbye, dear. And a little advice; Saisei's presence isn't exactly going to help you any.", she swung her foot fast and kicked him hard in the face, sending him flying off of the roof, over the palace, and over the steps. He landed right at the bottom of the steps, making a small crater where Saisei had just arrived.

"Dad!", she ran to him and kneeled beside him. He was still in his slow movement as he looked at his daughter. Saisei jerked her head over her shoulder to glare up the stairs. Once she turned back to her father she chanted softly with the clap of her paws."_Ugokanai Arimasu SentakumONO HANARETE!", _her paws jolted forward with palms facing him when her chant finished and with glowing yellow eyes she lifted a blue veil that raised out of Po and dispersed into the air above them.

Po sat up, his lungs filling and emptying in a fast rythym as his paw rubbed his jaw where Moeru struck him,"Thanks."

"No problem.", sighed the liger, happy to see that her father was okay."Can we go now?"

The panda got into the Lotus Position in a weary groan,"Not yet. I still have to explain things to your step mom.", he grumbled before slipping into his trance, locking onto Tigress' Chi.

_In the mental plane_

Po opened his eyes only to shut them again when Tigress slammed her fist into his nose and broke it.

"What the hell was that all about?", she hollered."WHY WERE YOU MAKING OUT WITH MOERU!"

"Babe, would you give me a fucking chance to explain! Damn it!", he groaned and cupped his bleeding nose, which no doubt was doing the same in his actual body. As he stood up he could see Tigress' foot tapping rapidly on the vast void.

"I'm waiting!"

"Hun, I'm seriously tired. Moeru just beat the shit out of me. Could you please just read my mind? I don't feel like explaining it right now."

Tigress laid her ears flat and growled almost demonically."Fine.", she spat and slammed her palm into Po's forehead, sending him back a few inches, but he stood his ground. The images of his memories flashed before them in the void. Tigress' features softened some, but she was still incredibly pissed. She could see how torn he was to be with someone remotely to his own kind, and how attracted he was to Seikaku. How much he hated what Moeru was doing. And how burdened he felt all these years keeping their old relationship inside. Curious to see who the yellow light was beside Po in this realm, she decided to skip to the day's events with narrowed eyes. She growled again when Moeru kissed him and kicked him. She shut her eyes, removed her palm and crossed her arms.

"Just be damn sure you don't let this happen again! Now get the hell out of there, even if you have to bring Saisei along. Things are getting bad."

"Alright. So am I forgiven-?"

"I'm too pissed to even look at you right now, just get back here! Maybe by the time you arrive I'll have calmed down some...", she kept her eyes shut.

Po's ears lowered sadly as he nodded,"I-I understand...I love you...", he softly muttered hopefully.

Tigress sighed exasperately and turned her back to him, her arms still crossed as she mumbled,"I love you too..."

Po didn't push his luck, so he vanished in a white light. Tigress slammed her fist into the void below with all her might and roared in agony to let loose some of her fury. Moeru would pay for causing so much pain. She vanished in her own light.

_With Tigress_

Tigress opened her eyes in an immediate scowl. Everyone around her flinched in fear when her eyes burned with rage. She had calmed down some, but they were still fearful of her seemingly unreasonable wrath. Poor Crane now had a swollen eye, the fur on Monkey's back was unevenly disheveled from when Tigress slashed at him with her claws. Viper and Koru were in the dining area still trying to put back together the innocent table that the femme fatale had ripped into.

"Hei-Wa, what's wro-"

"I don't want to talk about it right now mother, just leave me be.", interuppted Tigress as she jumped to her feet and walked to the double doors to the back yard. She stopped when she looked at her brother.

"Koru. Come with me.", she said in a cold voice.

Koru's tail twitched nervously,"Uhhh, do I have to?", he glanced back at Yunwei for possibly the final time.

"Yes.", she opened the doors and stormed out. Koru sighed in defeat and followed her.

_Two hours later..._

Koru growled in pain as Yunwei dabbed his bloody back with gauze soaked in alcohol.

"Sorry, but I couldn't help myself.", mumbled Tigress in the doorway of Koru and Yunwei's room.

Yunwei glared at Tigress,"You could have at least kept your claws in!"

Tigress, who had calmed down dramatically from her and Koru's spar, now felt plenty guilty,"Again, I am sorry.", her ears laid back when Koru bit down on his wooden mouth guard, Yunwei was now sewing yet another large laceration shut among the multitude of other's she had to find among his red matted fur. And that was just counting his back. The white tiger now carried a sprained wrist, a broken collarbone, two broken ribs and a series of small cuts on his arms and chest. Consequently her claws had opened up some of his old scars, which were particularly painful.

"Remi' me du' ki' Bo whe' he gesh ba'.", growled Koru through the wood.

Tigress grimaced,"I'm sure he'll kill himself when he gets back anyway, I could tell he was feeling immensly guilty when I left."

"Goo'.", muttered Koru after flinching from yet another embedding needle movement.

Unable to do anymore good than harm, the female tiger walked out of the doorway on her way back downstairs. Once she found the bottom step, her ear twitched when she felt Po's Chi along with Saisei's. They were close. She walked to the kitchen and began to attempt to make Po some noodles as an apology for her overreacting.

The sound of the slow chopping of vegatables began to fill that section of the palace. Everyone aside from her, Koru and Yunwei had now fallen into an uneasy sleep. After, of course, making certain that their feline friend had lived through their torturous leader's almost maniacal rampage. The soft snores of a snake, loud snorts of a bug, the gentle breathing of a bird and the borderline childish whimperings of a primate had given the female a clear monitoring symphony of the natural breathing habits of her comrades. She could sense every movement, every sound, every groggy twitch of the group. So it came to no surprise when she soon found herself hearing her mother's voice entering the doorway of the kitchen.

"You can really hurt the baby if you hold onto all that stress, you know."

Tigress pressed her lungs closed in a weary sigh from her mother's comment; her paw that clasped the blade loosened it's grip and settled gently onto the cutting board with a soft 'thunk'. Jiu-Ne walked up beside her and leaned back on the counter, studying her daughter."Funny, that's what I thought I was unleashing onto Koru just a little while ago.", she leaned her arms on the counter and stared at the white wooden surface, inclining her head only slightly towards Jiu-Ne, but she would not look at her mother.

"Why are you so angry all of the time, Hei-Wa? I understand that we tigers may not be the most peaceful of people, but still...your fuse has no starting point."

The younger tiger's lips felt a brush of bitter irony at Jiu-Ne's question, making them swing upward and to the side in a smirk."Trust me, mother, you have not seen me as my old self. I used to dish out that sort of behavior every day to Po.", she continued to cut the veggies,"I'm almost surprised that he's still alive."

Jiu-Ne nodded in understanding. Albiet if the understanding was very vague. A silence hung in the air for a few minutes that held only the distant sounds of sleep, immediate sounds of cutting, and, though Jiu-Ne could not hear it herself, muffled movements of lovemaking. Tigress' ear twitched on it's own from the unwanted sounds of the couple upstairs. Especially since she now knew that the male in said couple was her own brother. Tigress attempted to push that thought in the back of her head for now and slid her thoughts into a distracting, slightly less uncomfortable subject to start up a conversation with.

"So mother. Did...did you ever...get scared? Or insecure?", Tigress narrowed her eyes at the carrot slices on the cutting board.

"Insecure?", when Tigress nodded, Jiu-Ne copied the look in her daughter's eyes and crooked her neck towards the cabinet behind her head,"Insecure how?"

"Like...perhaps you aren't as attractive to your mate as you should be? In fear that they may...", she paused in embarrassment from her shameful thoughts, but nonetheless redirected her eyes towards Jiu-Ne's for possible comfort.

"Become unfaithful.", Jiu-Ne nodded slowly in more complete understanding now,"I see. Yes honey, I have. But you have nothing to be concerned about in that aspect with Po. He is not the type to be unfaithful. Trust me, I've seen the type. And that type, Po is not.", chuckled Jiu-Ne while giving her daughter a smile that eased the young Bengal's mind to some extent.

"So I shouldn't worry?"

"I didn't say that, you still have to defend your man. Even if there is no romantic intent from the enemy."

Tigress let in a deep breath and cleared her throat; she picked up the carrot and celery slices and poured them into the now boiling water along with the other vegatables. She did not look at Jiu-Ne for she was focused on scraping the dull side of her knife against the remaining stubborn slices of vegatables on the cutting board,"Did you ever have to defend father?"

"Well no, I didn't. But your father...", a small laugh slipped out in rememberance as her daughter set down the cutting board and knife and laid an armfull of uncooked noodles into the pot,"He was the type to do things his way. If someone ever insulted him, he would just shrug it off and tell me not to worry about it. But if their insults became too bold, he would really fly off of the handle."

"God help those who insulted you in front of father, huh?", she said bemusedly before the two laughed softly. Once their laughter passed over, Tigress frowned a little; unable to keep this question at bay in her mind,"Uhm...m-mother."

"Hm?"

"How many tigers have you seen in your life outside of the old village where I was born?", Tigress leaned on the island table with her arms crossed as she waited for the noodles to cook.

"Aside from you, Koru, and the man who raped me, I would have to say zero.", replied Jiu-Ne in a sad tone.

Tigress' lips curved downward and curled a little with her right eye squinted as if she was unsure as wether or not to say something.

"Why do you ask?", Jiu-Ne returned Tigress' gaze with one of confusion.

Tigress did not move, nor speak for a full minute as if contemplating on asking a question that had plagued her thoughts since she was a cub. But her steel trap mind was set, and this conversation needed to be over and done with,"What did the man look like?"

"Well he was quite muscular...had white fur, was a bit taller than most tigers. Very attractive, looked a lot like Koru.", Jiu-Ne chuckled nervously from her description as it made her blush under her orange and black fur. She was actually shamefully attracted to the man who raped her, but she would of course never admit it. But once she saw Tigress' gaze continue, her nervous smile disappeared.

"What was his name?", the younger feline uttered.

"I'll never forget it. Haku Tetsutsue.", she sighed in deep thought.

Out of nowhere Tigress doused the fire under the boiling pot, grabbed the older tiger's wrist and dragged her up the stairs."Hei-Wa, what's going on?", Tigress glanced back at her with a look that said 'just trust me'. They stopped infront of Koru and Yunwei's closed door. She knocked. After a minute of muffled sounds of moving fabric and whispering, Yunwei cracked open the door covering herself with a sheet.

"Yes?"

"Put some clothes on, this is no time for anything like that. Make sure Koru is dressed too, we're coming in."

Yunwei almost growled, but decided Tigress usually knew best. So she shut the door. It opened wide again after a few minutes with Yunwei and Koru in night clothes.

"What do you want?", said Yunwei in a curt manner. Her arms were crossed. Koru was still sitting in bed.

"We need to talk to Koru, if you don't mind.", said Tigress in almost a growl. Yunwei was getting on her nerves as of late.

Yunwei rolled her eyes and walked away from the open door,"Come on."

The tigers walked in and Tigress groaned in disgust from the sight of the pile of bloody gauze that overflowed the waste basket in the corner.

"Koru, what was the name of your master?", asked Tigress. Jiu-Ne was far from being coherent to the current situation. But with Tigress' history of right decisions, she did not even object to her daughter's actions.

"Master Tetsutsue.", he looked back and forth in between Tigress and Jiu-Ne. Tigress had a satisfied smirk, yet Jiu-Ne's irises shook wildly."Why do you want to knoHO!", he jerked in pain when Jiu-Ne hugged him tight. Yunwei growled in jealousy, but Tigress shot her a look.

"Yunwei, it isn't what you think.", said Tigress in a soft voice.

"Then explain.", replied the wolf through bared fangs.

"I am his mother!", sobbed Jiu-Ne with a smile as she glanced back at the stunned wolf. Jiu-Ne hugged her son again, not caring how much pain he was in at the moment as she kissed the top of his head."It all makes sense now."

"Ye-yeah, yeah, I know mother. But th-this really hurts!", flinched Koru.

"I'm sorry Koru.", she gently hugged his head where there were no stitchings, causing the son to sigh in relief. He patted his mother's shoulder. Eventually he simply laid his paw on her shoulder and closed his eyes.

"Finally got that out of the way.", muttered the master of the tiger style as she turned around."Yunwei, come on. I'm sure they have much to discuss.", when she looked over her shoulder to see Yunwei unmmoving, Tigress grabbed Yunwei by the scruff of her neck,"As do we.", she dragged the growling female out of the room. After Tigress shut the door, Yunwei tugged herself from her grasp and glared at the feline.

Tigress was in no mood to be patient so she glared back. Unlike Yunwei, Tigress had years of experience and practice to perfect her death glare so Yunwei eventually looked away and walked downstairs; the following tiger kept ahold of her right shoulder the entire time. Once they made it to the bottom of the stairs, Tigress led the wolf to the sitting room. Tigress gently pushed Yunwei onto a couch and crossed her arms."Now spill. You've been acting strange ever since Po left."

"What? No I haven't.", grumbled Yunwei as she averted the tiger's eyes.

"Yunwei, I can tell when you are lying.", she replied in a low voice.

"Why should I care? I have nothing to hide.", the wolf mumbled with her ears now slapped to her head.

Tigress rubbed her neck out of stress."Please stop bullshitting around, okay? I'm in no mood. And Po will be back soon so I need to know what's going on."

Yunwei looked down and clasped her paws together nervously in her lap."If I tell you, you're going to get mad...", the malice in her voice died down, yet it still did not hide her shattered nerves.

"Yunwei, there is no way that I can get as mad at you as I was with Po. And since I've unleashed all that anger out on my brother, I guess you're in the clear."

Yunwei began to sob silently. She shook a little and hiccuped. Tigress looked at her with concern in her eyes; Yunwei had never cried in front of her before. The tiger knelt down and put her paw on the wolf's knee.

"Yunwei it's okay, you can tell me."

Yunwei looked at Tigress for a moment, then looked back down at her lap with a speedily shaking head as her sobs became a little louder. She whined pitifully as if she were still a pup.

"Yunwei...Yunwei you need to tell me what's wrong or I can't help you.", Tigress rubbed the doctor's shoulder in an attempt to console.

She hiccuped in response, but spoke words in between her sharp intakes of breath."Y-you. Promise, not. To. Get. Mad?"

Tigress raised and lifted her head in a nod, concern now spread all over her face."I promise."

Yunwei trembled and raised a paw up to her bottom lip. She hesitated. But then she gently pinched her lip with her index finger and thumb. Tigress looked crestfallen. She now knew what was coming and prayed to every god out there that she was wrong for once. Yunwei pulled down her bottom lip, revealing a small seal. The seal of Moeru.

Yunwei let go of her lip and shook her head, her eyes filled with desperation."Sh-she snuck up on me, I didn't mean for it to happen! Please forgive me!", the wolf whined louder and took out a hankercheif to wipe her tears away.

"Oh, Yunwei...Yunwei, Yunwei, Yunwei...", sighed Tigress as her eyes were filled with sadness and hopelessness for her friend. She sat down on the bed beside the wolf and hugged her with her arms around Yunwei's shoulders. Yunwei laid her head down on Tigress' shoulder and sniffled."When did this happen? Before we left your village?"

"After you left Song's room to see Po before he left. She said she could hide her Chi, and not to bother screaming for help or she would just lopp my head off...", sobbed the doctor.

Tigress shook her head,"That doesn't make any sense, if she was here why didn't she attack? With Po gone, our strength would have been weakened by almost fifty percent. And since she did not know of my soul's return we would have been easy targets in her mind."

Yunwei's blue orbs looked up at her from her damp hankerchief she had been studying and shook her own head wearily,"I don't know, something about using me for a grander purpose..."

"Perhaps Saisei can help.", the tiger's eyes flashed when she looked at the back door.

"Who?", Yunwei's question was answered as Po opened the back doors wheezing. He fell to his knees as Saisei did the same beside him, though she did it for other reasons.

"Land! Sweet sweet land!", she kissed the floor and swept her paws over the smooth surface.

Po's wheeze became a pant, his tired eyes that reflected only his legs watched his daughter out of the corner of his eye,"Told ya...I run fast..."

"Yeah, no kidding. Remind me never to ask you to trim my claws.", murmured the liger.

"Why?", Po showed her a weird look from mention at such a strange request.

"Because you undersell yourself!", yelled Saisei.

"Shhhhhh! Everyone is asleep!", said Tigress angrily as she stood infront of the teen.

Po glanced at his mate and bowed to her in a complete kowtow, still on his paws and knees."Tigress. Seikaku. My love. I am so sorry for not telling you of my past relationship with Moeru. It will never happen again."

Tigress rubbed her forehead and sighed through her nose as she looked down at her lover with sympathy in her eyes,"It's fine, Po. What scares me is that I thought we binded our souls together in the Dragon Scroll, we shouldn't have important secrets like that, at least such important secrets should not have been hidden."

Po stood up slowly, giving her an expression of awkwardness,"Well I didn't really think it _was _important. I didn't even like her.", he shrugged."I mean it only lasted for like a month or so."

Tigress closed her eyes and laughed under her breath,"Always the naive one..."

Saisei cleared her throat, causing Tigress to look at her. Saisei, who was now standing, bowed formally to Tigress,"I am Saisei, daughter of Yogan and Moeru. I hope and pray that you accept me as your own one day."

Tigress raised a brow and looked at Po, who shrugged hopefully.

The tiger crooked her head at the liger and shook her head accusingly,"I'm not going to pretend I trust you, Saisei. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if you betrayed us. But you are Yogan's daughter. I will allow you to stay. Just be sure to keep yourself on your best behavior.", Tigress' eyes glowed an angry red with almost bared fangs. Saisei nervously stiffened and nodded. God, how Seikaku and her mother's eyes were alike."Now off to bed. There are plenty of rooms, the vacant ones have open doors.", said Tigress as she nodded over her shoulder in the direction of the stairs.

Saisei bowed again and walked up the stairs, glancing at the wolf laying on the couch that had cried herself to sleep as she passed the seating area.

Tigress relaxed and looked at Po. To say that the panda was nervous was an understatement. He fidgeted with his fingers and shuffled his feet like he used to before he'd attained Inner Peace. He usually did that when he wanted to do something, but was fearful of the consequences. The tiger rolled her eyes and smiled a soft smile for him. She spread her arms out,"Come on."

Po quickly destroyed the gap between them and hugged her like he was trying to bend steel; the bear hug lifted her off of her feet. He kissed her lips over and over again, to which she purred with the wrapping of her arms around his neck. His kisses slowly rolled over her cheeks and neck; eventually the hardened and angered Tigress was melting from his kisses and giggling from the affection. He was the only one who could ever change such moods she was in.

"Okay, okay, okay, enough.", whispered the tiger, making the panda stop and smile at her. She returned the smile and kissed him,"You don't play fair, do you?", her paws that held the back of his head carressed the fur under her fingers.

"Nope.", his smile widened.

Tigress nipped his cheek,"Well don't ever stop."

Po laughed under his breath and set her down. His smile faded though as he looked over Tigress' shoulder and noticed Yunwei on the couch. He could practically feel her sorrow. He whispered almost inaudibly."What's wrong with the doc?"

Tigress whispered in Po's ear and the panda sighed heavily with slumping shoulders.

"Well...maybe Saisei can do something about it.", he mumbled.

"I was thinking the same thing.", she replied as she walked into the kitchen,"I made you some noodle soup."

"Oh great, I'm starving!", he hollered in a whisper whilst following her. He stopped in his tracks when he sniffed the air,"Wait, did you remember to add the basil?"

Tigress smacked her forehead with her palm and shut her eyes,"Damn it."

"It's fine, nothing wrong with adding it now.", he said over his shoulder in a reasoning tone. He grabbed some fresh basil from the spice cabinet and began to chop it up. He slowed to a stop though and inhaled happily as her arms wrapped around him. His lips graced his features in a wide grin. She always knew how to relax him. And if he could purr again Tigress would be on the receiving end of a purring spree from his now relaxed demeanor.

Tigress closed her eyes as her head rested on his back, never wannting to leave his side again. His want to purr now sunk into the female when Po rubbed his paws over her arms. Her eyes opened slightly when he took her paws in his and lifted them, but they closed just as quickly when his lips pressed against her fingers. A strong blush found either side of her nose, and as if fueled by the reddening of her cheeks the tiger's tail swished around in a happy dance.

Po turned around and slid his muscular arms around her thin body. His lips traced over the patterns over her forehead and kissed each marking. The vibrations in her throat only grew louder in response; her once swinging tail had now wrapped itelf around his leg.

"Mmmmm. I thought you were hungry.", she said softly, her voice was tired and groggy as if she would drift off at any moment from his soft yet firm torso that her head currently resided on.

"You taste better than noodles ever could.", he whispered in her ear, his statement washed over her like a pale of warm water and relaxed her features even moreso as her cheeks burned through her fur from such a flirtateous compliment.

The panda gently nibbled on her ear before uttering his next words, both actions making her shiver all over,"Would you like to go to bed?"

"Sounds good.", yawned the tiger who rubbed her temple into the fur that provided the warm beat from the heart she loved so much. Just then she yelped as her lover hoisted her up into his arms. The two gave each other a warm smile and went to bed, ignoring the noodles than slowly turned cold in the night.


	32. Chapter 32:Bartering Toys and Grievances

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**** Firstly I would like to thank everyone who have been following this story. I know I do not normally induce an author's note into my stories because I feel as though it pulls one out of the fantasy, but I thought this one necessary. This being the final chapter to SFTA and all. When this chapter ends there will be many cliffhangers, questions unanswered, and issues brought up from the very roots of most of the characters' hearts. But do not worry. SFTA is merely the first installation to a three part series. I will be taking a break from this series for a few weeks, however, to focus on my other stories such as Bone To Ash, The Panda With The Catnip Heart, my own version of KFP 3, KFP Blitzkreig Bop, and Imperial Conflict. For those of you who are dedicated to the story, I will be planning on rereleasing it after making any and all corrections in every chapter.**

**Also, I will now be taking in students who wish to become better writers. There are four spots left out of the seven, so do not hesitate to imput your name. I have an initial test at the ready for any applicants that shows me just where their faults are and where they need to improve. For the test, please visit my Bio.**

**I would also like to thank one of the few people I respect. writepassed. He has a great story which everyone should read, for it is a very fluid and suspensful piece of work.**

**Another point I must add. I want to stress the fact that this is NOT a songfic chapter, but I do have a soundtrack for this finale. Please feel free to download the following music and create a soundtrack on your device before reading to get the most out of this experience. When the (1) is shown, that is the signal to begin playing the playlist:**

**"Danger-Keep Away" by Slipknot (1)**

**"Bring Me To Life" by Evanescence (2)**

**"It's Not My Time" by Three Doors Down (3)**

**"Sons of Plunder" by Disturbed (4)**

**"Down On Me" by Motorhead (5)**

**"The Unforgiven III" by Metallica" (6)**

**"Never Surrender" by Skillet (7)**

**"Greyhound" by Swedish House Mafia (8)**

Chapter 32: Bartering Toys And Grievances

Tigress must have been truly exausted. For by the time Po had carried her to their bedroom, the beautiful young master had fallen asleep in her lover's arms. The panda couldn't help but smile at her, she looked so relaxed. She was literally curled up in his arms with her arms and legs lining up over her torso and stomach. The tiger's paws were now curled around each other under her chin. Her orange and black face was tucked against his chest with the white tufts along her jawline splayed out on his green vest. And her whiskers would even twitch every few seconds as if she was somehow intuned with just how cute it would make her look.

Po gingerly laid the creature down as to not disturb her rest. She really deserved every bit of relaxation she received. The male sighed inaudibly and pulled the covers up over her til they reached her chin. He pressed his lips just in between her eyes; which made her allow a soft purr. Po stood up straight to leave the room, but as his body heat withdrew from the female, her eyelids pulled themselves open to look up at his features with her sparkling ruby eyes that could see him easily in the dark room; the only illumination was the gentle moonlight that shown through the windows of their veranda behind him.

"Where are you going?", she murmured sleepily as she slowly sat up.

Po gave her a half smile half frown, putting his paws on her shoulders to gently push her back down onto the bed,"Oh no no no no no, please go back to sleep Mai Tai. I just need to get someone to stay up and keep watch.", he whispered with the gentle carress of her cheek with his paw.

"Mmmmokay.", she said in a purr whilst pressing her cheek into his loving palm,"Just don't be too long."

"I'll be quick.", he whispered again and gave her a kiss as soft as a miniscule lick from the wind. Satisfied with his answer, the tiger closed her eyes and allowed herself the comfort of sleep once her male straightened back up.

The panda quietly tip toed out of the room. His large paw opened and closed the door with nary a sound. And without a noise to be heard he made his way down to Koru and Yunwei's room.

Peering through the doorway he saw Koru sitting at the end of his bed. At the head of the mattress was a sleeping Jiu-Ne who had the most peacful look on her face. The white tiger's ear shot into the direction of the doorway, yet Koru kept his eyes shut and his head bowed.

"Come in, Po.", said Koru quietly. Po stepped inside and glanced at the female.

"Hey, so...how're you doing?", whispered Po.

Koru took in a deep breath, opened his eyes halfway to stare at the floor and let out a gentle channel of air through his pursed lips."I'm...confused. Happy, but confused."

"Confused?", he looked back at the doorway, then at Jiu-Ne as Koru nodded his head,"Come on, let's talk downstairs.", Koru did not hesitate to follow the Dragon Warrior outside the room.

Arriving in the sitting room, Koru's face changed from anchored to relieved when he saw the wolf sleeping on one of the couches. The two males sat at an adjacent couch with Po sitting at Koru's right. Koru sat back and crossed his arms as Po did the same. The panda and tiger sat in silence for a few minutes.

Po opened his mouth once or twice to say something to break the silence, but shut it each time. The panda had the greatest urge to speak, but Koru had this certain air about him that said 'I need to talk'.

Continuing to stare up at the ceiling, Koru wet his lips slightly from the amount of talking he'd been doing, and inclined his head somewhat in Po's direction when he spoke,"Did you ever know your mother, Po?"

Po frowned at this question and shook his head with a shrug as he watched the nonmoving paint of the ceiling,"No. I mean when I found Inner Peace, I caught the memory of when I last saw my mother at the age of one. But other than that nothing."

"Understandable. Your race was all but extinct, wasn't it?", replied the tiger in a small sigh. Po nodded slowly."What about Yogan's mother?"

"I don't want to talk about it, can we just get to the point?", asked Po curtly with his ears drawn back.

Koru looked directly at the panda,"Why? What happened t-"

Po pressed his palm over the tiger's mouth and let out a soft growl,"Don't ask, okay? Just...don't ask..."

Koru nodded and once Po removed his paw he spoke again,"Well...I guess I was wondering what you'd do if you ever met your mother as an adult. I mean, I just do not know how I should act around her. Do you know what I mean?"

Po nodded,"Yeah I do. But you know you should really ask Tigress about this. She's basically in the same boat as you."

"That is true...", he rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger in thought,"So where will we go after we find out what happened to the king?"

Po sighed heavily,"Well, I had this crazy idea...and it's going to sound really, really big at first. But to me it just makes sense. See, we-", he sat up straight and went wide eyed."Koru, get everyone but Tigress, Jiu-Ne and Yunwei up. Have everyone get their bags and meet back here."

Koru blinked, sat up and looked around as if to attempt to sense some threat that was lurking around the house. After a few seconds of sniffing for scents, peering at a few dark corners and twitching his ears he eyed Po confusedly"O-Okay...", he got up and ran up the stairs. After he reached the top he felt Po rush past him and into his and Tigress' room.

**(1)**

Po looked at the still sleeping tiger and relaxed a bit despite the tension he was feeling."Okay good, she hasn't caught it yet. I'll have to-", Po's eyes flickered speedily as his legs wobbled. He fell onto the bed over Tigress' legs and lay unconcious.

_Mental Plane_

_Po opened his eyes and sat up panting. He was in the blackness of the mental plane, but things were much different. There was a large mass of blue light to his left in the far off distance. It moved like it was a floating mist or a lilypad on a brooke. He looked up and saw Tigress standing infront of him with her arms crossed looking unbelievably angry. She looked at the panda and extended a paw infront of him to help him up. As he took it and stood, Po noticed that there was someone there with them. A turtle._

_"Master Oogway!", Po bowed quickly._

_"Save it, Po. We've got bigger problems than showing respect. Besides, our souls have just as much experience as Oogway's, we're on the same level now.", said Tigress in an annoyed tone._

_"She is correct, Po.", said the turtle in a sigh."I am sorry for putting you two in the middle of this, but it was all a necessary cause."_

_"What are you talking about?", asked Po in a wary tone._

_"Do you remember Bokyaku?", asked Tigress, who still refused to look at Oogway._

_"Bokyaku...", Po blinked and shook his head,"I-I don't think so..."_

_Tigress pinched the bridge of her snout with her thumb and index finger gently pressing into her eyes,"For the love of all things holy-Did you even think to try and recover all of your memories Po?"_

_The panda flinched,"No? I figured they'd just come back to me in time, that's what you told me didn't you Oogway?"_

_"I said that you would begin to remember, Yogan. But I did not say that they would just magically return. You must seek them out yourself. What do you remember?", asked Oogway in a caring voice, but before Po could answer Tigress interuppted._

_"We don't have time to play the memory game. Po, Bokyaku is the Phoenix King of Demons, the Lord of Demon Mountain; the original Furious FIve defeated him. And we thought-", she shot Oogway a look,"that somebody sealed him up in that blasted volcano. But apparently we were wrong. Oogway and Moeru had supposedly sealed him when you, Tsuka and I left to seek medical attention."_

_Po flinched again as he started to regain the memory,"Yeah...yeah and we had left the volcano...I had the least amount of injuries and-and Tsuka needed to be flown back, but I remember...seeing a flash of blue light coming from the side of the mountain.", he scratched the right side of his head as he attempted to remember the details._

_"Anyways, they were supposed to seal the bloody bastard but I guess that was a lie.", spat Tigress._

_"Now now Seikaku, I did not lie. I said that Moeru and I got rid of Bokyaku. But I did not say that we sealed or killed him. Besides, I was young and foolish at the time. I did not see the necessity of destroying him. I thought that he could be turned."_

_Tigress scoffed and muttered under her breath,"Embodiment of evil being turned...", she shook her head, then darted her eyes to Po from his outburst._

_"Wait, so what did you do with him? And what does that have to do with what's happening right now? And by the way, we need to hurry the hell up and get out of here!", shouted Po as he pointed at the slow moving wave of blue light heading in their direction._

_"Wait...gigantic group, an army...they're floating.", she closed her eyes and rubbed her temple from the incoming headache,"Mai Jin?",asked Tigress after opening her eyes to slits at the mass of light,"I was wondering about that. How did you sense him?"_

_"I didn't sense him, I sensed Moeru! And how couldn't you sense either of them?", Po gave Tigress a look of concern._

_"What? I thought you said she wouldn't be coming for five months!", said Tigress as she shot Oogway a look of annoyance, glancing at Po,"And my powers don't work in the Mental Plane, and Oogway put me under before they could get into my initial range!", she almost growled at the turtle this time._

_Oogway closed his eyes to avoid Tigress' glare without backing down,"There is something that you two need to realize. Have you not noticed it yet? First she was coming in three months to kill Po. Then she told you herself it would be one month. And I told you it would be five."_

_Tigress and Po looked at each other, then at Oogway,"So you lied to us?", Tigress said this in more of a statement than a question._

_Oogway shook his head as his eyelids rose to see the confused couple. Inside he began to grow nervous at the closeness of the blue light that made it's way into his peripheral vision,"No, not at all. I saw a vision that she would destroy the city in five months time. And that is what I told Po. But the actions that he took to recover his father changed the prophecy. Just as all of your actions changed the first two deadlines."_

_"So what you're saying is...it doesn't matter what we may or may not think what happens in the future. All that matters...is what we can do about it now. To prevent it or speed it along.", said Po, who was staring at the abyss below him. Oogway smiled and nodded._

_Tigress hid a huge smile at this. Now they did not have to worry as much about Po's death._

_"You see, even ancient relics like us can still learn a thing or two.", chuckled the turtle._

_Po nodded and looked up,"Understood. Now back to why you brought us here?"_

_"Ah yes, Bokyaku. It was really an unfortunate thing to think that we were about to kill another being. The last of his kind. I had never murdered anyone before, so Moeru and I sent him away. To another part of the world."_

_"Where?", asked the panda without missing a beat as he balled his paws to fists in determination._

_"To a far away land with no name. Not many live in those lands. It is filled with ice and snow and is a considerably large piece of land. He has no doubt been forced to hibernate in that frozen climate to keep alive."_

_"Oh, no...", sighed Po as he rubbed his temples in realization._

_"Finally understand do you?", murmured Tigress sarcastically._

_"Yes. Moeru is going to bring him back. You must stop her at all costs. We barely had the strength to defeat Bokyaku as the original Furious Five. And without Tsuka or I to aid you and with Moeru on his side you would stand no chance.", said Oogway determinedly._

_"Fine. Can we leave now? Everyone is probably going loopy at the house.", said Po._

_"One last thing.", Oogway looked at the two of them after glancing at the blue light in the distance that was closer than before. In only half an hour it would arrive it seemed."You two must tap into your Inner Selves. If the bat army is truly on it's way with Moeru at their side it would be a challenge even for you two."_

_"What must we do?", asked Tigress, who was beyond asking what new techniques were anymore. She was determined to get out of here, and she was itching for a fight._

_"I am afraid that you will have to figure this out on your own. You must prepare for battle. Just remember; to get to the end you must find your beginnings. And to protect your beginnings you must destroy your end. Now go."_

_Back at the palace_

Tigress and Po awoke. They heard everyone downstairs talking. Actually it was more like arguing. They glanced at each other, got up, grabbed their bags that held their valuables minus their clothes, and ran downstairs.

They arrived to see Viper, Yunwei, Crane and Mei Ling arguing and Koru, Monkey and Mantis fighting with Saisei. Jiu-Ne was trying to hold Koru back. Song had been laid on one of the couches.

Tigress put her thumb and middle finger to her lips and blew a loud, ear piercing whistle. Everyone stopped what they were doing, except Saisei who punched Monkey in the face before stopping.

"Hey! What the hell is going on?", shouted Tigress.

"It's Moeru!", shouted Koru.

"Yunwei's a spy!", yelled Crane.

"She's not a spy, bird brain!", yelled Koru.

"Don't call him bird brain, muscle head!", spat Mei Ling.

"Just stop, okay? Please?", said Yunwei in a sheepish and restrained voice. She was on the verge of tears.

"Enough!", yelled Po. He inhaled deep as everyone went silent again."This is not Moeru. This is Saisei, my...", he coughed the word.

Everyone except Saisei and Tigress turned their heads to look at Po and said in unison,"WHAT?"

"Yeah, I'm his daughter!", spat Saisei as she went to Po's side and looked at him,"I tried to tell them!", she glanced at the group and whispered in the panda's ear,"By the way, can you feel that? Mom's-"

"I know, sweetie, I know.", he patted her shoulder in his one arm hug around the female and looked at the group once again. They all had the most confused looks on their faces while the fact sunk in as they stared at Po, Saisei and Tigress, who had not disputed this,"Now yes, Yunwei is a spy. But Saisei knows a bit of magic and she may or may not be able to rid Yunwei of the seal. Can you?", he looked at Saisei, who scratched the back of her head and showed a doubtful look.

"Erhm...well, I could try it. Mom usually puts those things on pretty good. It takes a lot of time."

Everyone blinked when she used the word 'mom' and once things pieced together in their minds, they gave Po a look of betrayal. And then the next wave of shouts began.

"How could you-"

"That was totally uncool-"

"How disrespectful-"

"You make me sick-"

"I never thought you would be capable of this-"

"And to think she still trusts you-"

"Enough!"

The room was again deafened of the onslaught when Tigress let out her small shout.

"After everything we have been through together, you dare to place mistrust in this man? It scares me to think of what may happen to this group in the future. Don't you remember the letter? She raped him!", the female looked at her comrades with a hint of wariness as they looked at each other. One by one, save for Mei Ling and Jiu-Ne who had not read the letter, their mistrust was replaced by guilt, and it showed in the forms of nods, the bowing of heads, and apologies. Mei Ling and Jiu-Ne simply went silent and decided to ask questions later.

After the apologies were out of the way, Monkey was the first to speak up after allowing himself to relax in a chair,"Well what now then? Are we leaving since you're back? And what are we doing about Song?"

"Yes, we're leaving. Moeru and Mai Jin are on their way with the entire bat army.", said Tigress in a tone that showed off her commanding additude. Everyone held in a silent gasp.

"Wait, what about the citizens? And the king? And the Hall of Species? And where the hell is Shiro?", spouted Mantis at record speed, making it almost sound like gibberish.

Viper nuzzled the bug,"Hun stop, you're going to hurt your head like that. Settle down.", Viper looked at Tigress,"But he's right. What are we going to do about all this?"

"We leave, simple as that. Po and I will explain everything later.", stated Tigress as Po rushed back upstairs to get their clothes and make sure no one forgot anything.

"Where are we going?", asked Mei Ling.

Tigress looked to her left with her softly glowing eyes; it was taking less and less energy for her to use her old powers. Her tail twitched anxiously and she let out a small sigh as the army was only minutes away. There was no escaping now. She turned back to the group,"The Imperial City. But we'll have to fight our way out first.", the tiger inclined her head over her left shoulder,"Po, take everyone's things and hide them. The bags would only slow them down.", she called back before stretching out her muscles. She looked at her brother as Po sped around, grabbing everyone's possessions in a blur before rushing into the kitchen to grab the prepared bags of rations. However he clumped all of the group's weapons in a pile in the middle of the area rug,"Koru, Viper, Monkey, Po and I will go outside and fight. The rest of you run to the King's Palace and hide in the catacombs."

"Hei-Wa what are you talking about?", asked Jiu-Ne.

"It's going to be a hard battle, mother. And collateral damage will run rampant. Best that you all get underground.", said the younger tiger as she unsheathed her claws and clenched a gentle fist.

"I wanna fight too!", yelled Mantis.

"So do I!", shouted Crane.

"No, you are the last line of defense if things go wrong and we don't have time to argue! Now go!", she pointed to the door with her claw outstretched. Everyone she commanded got up with Mei Ling throwing Song over her shoulder, but only Mei Ling and Crane made their way out of the front door initially.

Mantis hugged Viper's neck and kissed the snake without a word before hopping away. Viper gave a heavy sigh and allowed herself the promise of what she would tell the bug if she made it out of this alive.

Jiu-Ne hugged Tigress and smiled at her,"You'd better take care of your brother.",Tigress returned the smile and nodded, and with that the elder tiger ran out of the door leaving her young to fend off evil for their mother yet again. And silently Jiu-Ne demanded something from herself. It was the first unselfish demand she'd had since seeing her daughter for the first time in twenty nine years. She demanded that she would finally allow her inner strength as a tiger to awaken so that she may protect her children in the future.

Saisei hugged Po tight and whispered something in his ear. Po raised a brow, as did Tigress as she could hear every word. Viper was too distracted by the sight of Mantis leaving to notice; but the panda nodded and kissed Saisei on the cheek."Fine. But take care of everyone for me, okay? I'm counting on you.", he said softly.

Saisei beamed at him and nodded."I promise!", she gave her father another tight squeeze and ran off. Tigress smiled some at Po.

"You know she really is a cute kid. Even if she's a nine hundred year old teenager.", the female chuckled. Po nodded and let out a soft smile.

"Yeah. Just hope she has more of me in her than Moeru.", laughed Po nervously. Tigress rubbed his back and laid her head on his shoulder for a minute as they watched the last of the escapees.

Yunwei stopped by Koru and looked up at him for a moment, but kept trailing her eyes down to his chest and back up though she was looking at nothing in particular; as if she was too ashamed to look him in the eye. She had tears in her eyes and opened her mouth to say something, but closed it quickly and started to run. But Koru grabbed her paw and kept her there with ease. He gently pulled her to his chest, held her in his arms and gave her a deep and passionate kiss. He broke the kiss quickly and regrettably, for they had no more time. He stared into her eyes and whispered,"You are not to blame. I still love you with all of my heart. Stay safe...", he stroked her left cheek and ear with his massive right paw,"and wait for me."

Yunwei sniffled, nodded with a small smile and kissed him again. They hugged, and the tiger allowed the wolf to run away with a his heavy heart in her paw. For it may be the last time his eyes would be blessed by her beauty.

Monkey hopped up on the large tiger's left shoulder and patted his chest with his left paw while laying the tiger's staff over the right side of his huge body with his right paw. He himself held a pair of broadswords tucked in his sash. Koru grabbed his staff and looked at the primate,"Don't worry, man. We're gonna make it through this.", Monkey winced at the thought of the bat army,"I hope..."

"We will.", Koru turned around so that he and Monkey could look at Tigress and Po."We will defeat this wench and her pathetic winged rats! And do you know why?", smirked the feline.

"Because we're the underdogs and they always win?", joked Monkey with a smirk as he rested his left paw on the hilts of his broadswords.

"Because we are the heavy hitters of Kung Fu, and they're a bunch of untrained, malnourished weaklings!", shouted Tigress with an air of confidence.

"Yeah!", smiled Viper with a whip of her ribbon.

"Now how are we gonna do this?", asked the white tiger with a small smile, gripping his staff as his sister's itch to fight began to rise in him as well.

"Okay.", Po slid one of his short swords out that he had sheathed in the makeshift strappings from when he held Tigress in the Fubuki Mountains. He walked outside of the sitting area and knelt down on the hardwood floor, embedding the end of his sword into the wood to start carving a crude map of the area. The other four soon made a circle around it while Po's eyes glowed that familiar green,"Now we need a way to take out a majority of them, otherwise we're screwed eight ways to Sunday. But first off we need to find out if anyone is with them that we need to know about. Say for instance Song's soul. Tigress, I need you to go ahead and look for such out of place souls. We don't want to hurt any innocents or allies.", Tigress nodded and closed her eyes to concentrate as he continued, "Monkey since you're the weapons expert of the Five, you need to take the rest of Koru's weapons and hide them or equip them in whatever way you feel will best give you an advantage on the rooftops. Viper, you go with him. And take your venom with you. After what I have planned you'll want everything on the roof."

Monkey gave him a thumbs up and hopped off of Koru with an almost evil grin to grab the weapons and begin the planning of his pranks. Viper grimaced some from the thought of using her venom, but nodded and went to the kitchen to get her jars.

"Got it. Song's soul is with her, as is Shifu.", stated Tigress.

"Awesome. Now-"

"But I am a weapons expert as well, shouldn't I take Monkey's post?", interuppted Koru while studying Po.

Po smirked,"No, we're going to have a little surprise of our own...", he shoved his sword into the 'map' where the Dragon Palace was while restraining a laugh.

_Minutes later, in the sky above Kyrokuyoru City_

The rather tired bats finally slowed their speed as they approached the city and soon they simply hovered in the dim lights of the thousands of small torches below and the pale moonlight above.

The scarlet lion smiled evilly as she looked down at the Dragon Palace while standing on the massive back of Mai Jin. The leader of the bats wanted so much to buck this bitch off of his back but for some reason he could not. His mind desired it, but his body refused. Moeru, who sensed the bat's internal struggle, bent down and patted his cheek.

"Now now, don't be like that. There is too much fun to be had for that type of thinking.", she stood up straight and called back,"Hikage, bring me the old fool and the lovestruck idiot."

Another bat, slightly smaller than Mai Jin, floated over to Moeru with the black panther on it's back, along with a large jar in her arms that glowed an eerie gray and an odd looking staff strapped to her back. On the panther's right there was a particularly weak looking red panda.

Moeru turned around and leaned back against the back of Mai Jin's head with her arms crossed. She glared at Shifu."Now tell me, welp. Do your 'students' have any tricks up their sleeves for situations like this?", she knew about Yogan and Seikaku's tactics, but the rest of them were another matter. And she was no fool. She knew they were the Furious Five for a reason and she would take no chances.

Shifu trembled from the amount of pain in his heart. The stone that hung from around his neck had been weighing heavier and heavier with each passing day as if it was sapping the life out of him. He panted quietly into the night as his mouth opened to speak,"C-Crane has an above the clouds technique to confuse and pick off opponents with large numbers. Tigress lures skybound enemies in and disables the joints of their wings. Monkey would ricochet off of the opponents that have such large builds. Viper would take control over one of your men with her grappling technique and Mantis would use his Chi attacks and small build to jump from place to place and disable your men wherever he went.", he closed his eyes in shame from his involuntary speech.

Moeru smiled in satisfaction and stood up straight,"Good boy. Now wave one! Attention!", hundreds of bats swung in and floated above the huge army."Dive formation blue! Now go go go!", she swung her arm down towards the ground and turned to Mai Jin's head again as the troop began their swift desent in a spiral formation. Moeru smiled wider at the sight as she began her 'first person control' technique to send them telepathic commands.

She leaned her forearms on the bat's head and rested her paws together as she concentrated her thoughts on the commands of the weaklings she had sent to test the defenses. But then her smile vanished when a massive orange light flew out from one of the second story windows of the building; the flame took the form of a dragon and swallowed the head on attackers whole, leaving only ashes to shower the ground below.

Moeru hissed and Shifu's eyes went wide. The dragon flew into the air and floated infront of the cat's eyes as it coiled and curled in anticipation of it's next meal. Moeru's face softened to a degree when she noticed the glowing green eyes of the dragon.

"Well hello, lover!", she waved ecstatically with a giggle that made her sound rather disturbed,"Come to join the party already, have you?"

The dragon opened it's mouth wide as Po's voice came through it's gaping maw in a creepy echo,"_You will give us Shifu and Song back immediately. Then you will surrender yourself and the bats will leave peacefully."_

The red furred feline raised up until her paws leaned on the top of Mai Jin's head like a table as she glared at the inferno inside the dragon's stomach,"Oh so you wish to negotiate, baby?"

Suddenly Tigress' voice made it through the dragon's mouth. This time Shifu recognized the voice, even though it was still very different. He stared into the dragon as well when he heard her,_"You dare talk to him like that, Moeru! I swear that I will rip your entrails from your abdomen and shove them into every orifice I can find on your body!", _roared the tiger.

Moeru hissed,"Seikaku! I've been looking forward to slicing my claws across your throat!"

"Seikaku?", whispered Shifu in shock. His eyes squinted as if he could see the people within the dragon.

_"Then come down here you ruddy bit-"_, Tigress' voice was interuppted by the former voice that Shifu could only barely recognise.

_"Hey, hey, now! Let's not get ahead of ourelves here!", then he began to whisper,"What the hell, Tigress? Plan A does not include a freaking bait and switch! We'd be totally left for fucking dead!"_

There was a silence, followed by a soft smack_."Po...", _said Tigress.

_"What?"_

_"You still have the voice spell activated..."_

_"SHIT!"_

The dragon closed it's mouth and shot up higher into the air to retreat as Moeru grinned to herself and yelled down to the palace,"It seems you're not as ready as you thought, eh lover? Well don't worry I won't kill you, but I will kill that bitch of a mate of yours!", she laughed maniacally and clapped her paws together as an electric wave surrounded her arms. The wave of lightning swarmed around Mai Jin, but did not touch him. But the lightning then transferred and spread to a dozen other bats in the same manner.

Moeru raised a paw up, making two of the lesser bats float higher. And as she brought her paw straight down, so did the bats at a high speed.

They gained even more speed as the balls of electricity fell faster and faster. The exposed wall of the house began to glow whiter and whiter and brighter and brighter from the light headed it's way. The ground almost trembled from the powerful attack. And just when the balls were about to hit the house...

A roar of flame swept passed the large home, swallowing the bats and destroying the attack at the same time. Moeru hissed as she watched the dragon fly into the air once again and dance around almost as if it was mocking her. The moonlight made even the being of flame look brighter as it's fire scales and fur of incredible detail flung about.

"Fine! If that's the way you want it!", she began throwing the other thunderous bats at the dragon. The mindless males that were thrown did not even let out a screech in pain as the power of the sun swept over them and incinerated their being from the swing of the dragon's tail.

Shifu let out a soft and quiet chuckle, but was stopped when Hikage smacked him in the back of the head,"What's so funny, welp?", she hissed.

Shifu had stopped laughing, but maintained a small smile as his eyes stared ever downward after the strike,"Your master-"

"_Our _master!", spat Hikage.

"Yes, well she is simply making a fool of herself. She may know magic but tactics she does not. It is very apparent."

At this, Moeru turned around and seethed at the old man; she took great offense to this as it was widely known she was a genius when it came to battle formations,"_What _did you just say?"

"You are hitting fire with lightning. It does no damage to the conjurer, and you have no one but yourself to blame for your loss of energy.", Shifu smiled wider as he raised his head to look at the lion.

Moeru's paws balled into fists,"Y-you're right.", she grumbled. She turned back to the dragon and stared at it for a minute. It floated there almost awaiting her next move. How could she destroy it? The only way to destroy it would be to kill the conjuerer, which she was unwilling to do for now, or to douse it in water. She did not know much water magic. She never bothered to. She was a master of lightning, earth, emotions, fire, a short control over time, mind control, and many others types of magic. But water and ice...

The lion's eyes widened and her mouth formed a smirk. She lowered a paw towards the palace in search for Saisei's mind."Come on, dear...come to mama...", she muttered under her breath in a singsong tone.

Her eyes narrowed as she kept feeling around for her daughter's specific Chi signature. And found nothing. With a frown, Moeru concentrated harder. The air around her began to wave an invisible heat as she emitted a soft glow of power. Finally, her scan for her daughter came up with nothing. The snake was there, the ape was there, Yogan was there. And the only other feline other than Seikaku was the white one. Moeru scowled at the dragon.

"Where is our daughter, Yogan! What have you done with her!", shouted the lion.

"Yogan...", Shifu blinked and rubbed his head with his left paw. Where had he heard these names before? And why was Moeru calling Po and Tigress these names?

Suddenly the dragon's mouth opened up again,"_She is not your daughter, Moeru! Not anymore!_", roared Po. The dragon then swiftly flew through the air and formed a ball of death as it hurdled itself into the fray of flying rodents. The bats tried their best to move out of the way, but with their minds being controlled their reaction time was too slow. Once the gigantic ball of fire made it's way to the center, it retracted into itself; slowly but surely it grew smaller as if it were about to dissapate.

The bats that were not destroyed flew a little closer to close the gap that was made. Moeru even leaned a bit closer to study the phenomenon. But her eyes grew wide when she noticed the air around the ball move in a dangerous gust.

"Get out of the way you f-!", her shout was interuppted by the massive explosion caused by the backlash technique. It swallowed over half of what remained of the army in a violent and flashy display of power. The bats that were not destroyed were flung into the distance or into the surrounding ground.

The roar created by the explosion shook the ground under the city, causing inevitable screams from the now awakened citizens as the smaller buildings began to crumble from the amount of pressure in the air.

Monkey hid behind the chimney and clung for dear life. Viper coiled tightly around said chimney, wrapping her body around Monkey's wrists to help him keep hold. Koru simply spun his bo staff all around his body in a few swiping techniques to keep away the majority of the gusts and glared at the explosion as he stood on the wall and got into a crouching position. The orb of power became stablized once again and maintained it's form while the oxygen around it allowed the flames to regain their dexterity. It now looked like a miniature sun. And from this distance it felt like one too.

_"Almost ready",_ he thought as the the now massive ball began to drop on the neighboring palace, the Pig palace, where no one was currently residing.

The ball smashed into the mansion and sent out a wave of destruction. The walls around the flames crumbled and allowed the fire to spread within instants.

Koru jumped into the air with all his might in a backflip, similar to Tigress' Tahlia Flip, as the wave of flame slammed through the walls around the Dragon Palace; the height he took, coupled with the force of the wave from the explosion, sent Koru up to a low flying bat as the inferno smashed through the stone like it was nothing but wood.

The white tiger dodged the swipe from the bat's claws while continuing his flips, then kicked off of the top of the bat's head to extend his flight. His eyes narrowed slightly in pain from the distant screeches that could now be heard. He was still a ways away from the actual horde, but they were not his destination...

Koru pulled out eight shurikens, and one by one he tossed them into the air and smacked them into eight seperate bats with his staff in a continuous diagonal spin.

The bats he struck took the bait. And with their dripping wounds they flew down to Koru with more speed than he had expected. Still somewhat in his hangtime, the tiger spun himself until he was upside down and kicked to begin his freefall.

The bats he stabbed soon surrounded him and the battle began as the group glowed in orange from the fiery ground below. They slashed at his body, tearing away his white shirt save for a few strands around his shoulders and cutting open his still fresh stitchings. The tiger fought back, swiping his staff into the jaws of two of the winged rats and breaking the bones he made contact with; they fell away from the fighting crowd while holding their destroyed jaws. One bat grabbed him from behind in the fall, but he jammed the butt of his staff into the creature's eye. The thing shreiked in pain and let go of him to allow his brothers to finish the tiger off.

Koru growled and flattened his ears from the high pitched shockewave. His vision was now temporarily blurred, and he could see the ground coming closer and closer. The dizzy male saw a claw slash at his throat, almost in slow motion from the force of the wind. He leaned his body back, causing the bat's smallest claw to merely make a long cut across his chest. Koru grabbed the extended arm and used the quickened speed from the wind to carry his legs higher and kick the attacking bat in the throat.

He swiftly took advantage of their position and put the bat in a headlock with his feet. The bat struggled while they still fell but with the shifting of his weight and jerking of his ankles, Koru snapped the bat's neck.

Koru felt the ground come ever closer. In the nick of time he dug his claws into the corpse' leg and held on until they smashed into the ground.

The contact from the fall made a crater, and a dust cloud surrounded the male. As he lay there, his thoughts swarmed over the idea that perhaps he could take a nap. He damn near felt like it. His body ached all over. And the broken bones from earlier that night had still existed. In fact his ribs were screaming in pain. As was one of his legs; he was completely unsure as of now which leg was actually broken, but the pain he felt would not allow him the luxury of thinking clearly. He could only thank God that he had no feeling in his wrists right now, the pain would surely have been unbearable to top off the rest off his suffering.

With dust filling his lungs in the stead of air Koru coughed and sat up, deciding that a nap was now impossible. He took off the last few shreds of his shirt and balled them into a rag to put over his mouth. He breathed a shallow breath and almost slitted his eyes to see. This was not just dust anymore, he could tell that now; it was smoke.

Peering around, Koru found a few smoldering flames settled on the ground where some of the charred remains of bushes and dead enemies now stood. The exterior wall of the mansion could be seen from where he sat through the clouds of ash and death; his staff helped pull him up at this realization. He needed to get inside.

He coughed hard into his rag from the lack of air and made his way to the building in a slow pace from his weakened state. He began to notice peciuliar facts forming in his head from the results he had determined by a mere glance around.

There was no sound, no battle being fought. At least from where he could hear. Of course he once heard that burning buildings sometimes cause the area surrounded in it's midst to fill with a soundless smoke from the building's materials.

The weary tiger was running low on oxygen. And he was still three quarters of the way between the middle of the yard and the back door. He saw a dead bat laying to his right with it's mouth shut. Grimacing, Koru leaned down and clasped a paw around the corpse' muzzle. He put his lips to the dead one's mouth and smacked his fist into it's chest. The last breath the bat took was now his own. It was not much air in comparison to the size of the bat's lungs, but it was plenty for the tiger's.

The almost vomitting male took this bitter breath, stood, and limped faster towards the house.

He found the door. Thank God. He opened it, shut it behind him and fell to his knees retching.

_"This plan...if I ever get my paws on that panda, he's a dead man..."_, thought Koru before letting out a small puddle of vomit. His coughs must have been heard, for when he was in mid heave he heard movement from somewhere in the smoke surrounded home.

He stood weakly, only vaguely ready for a fight.

"You are a good warrior, tiger.", whispered a voice from seemingly everywhere.

Koru bared his fangs and slowed his breathing."Show yourself!", he stared at the empty sitting room in the distance. He took a step forward, but felt something rush behind him.

He turned around. And finding nothing, he glared at every blind spot he could think of,"Where are you?", the male growled.

The voice that appeared from everywhere focused slowly behind him until the sound was boldly pinpointed,"Why Master Koru, I am right...here!", hissed the voiced as Koru felt a pair of claws dig deep into his sides. The cuts he had recieved allowed the creature behind him to dig it's claws deeper into his flesh until she was scraping and flicking his kidneys.

Koru roared in pain. It was too much. He tried to kneel down, but the creature's claws held him up.

"Ah, ah, ah. Stay up Master Koru or I'll mince this pretty body of yours.", purred the feline.

Koru's pain filled eyes shut, and he leaned heavily on his staff in his hunched over position.

"Get away from me, you bitch...", growled Koru.

Hikage giggled darkly and pressed herself against his back."Oh but you smell so...arousing.", her nose twitched as she sniffed the large wound on his left shoulder and slid her rough tongue over the open flesh; the action made Koru growled louder and he attempted to push her away with a weak wave of his left paw, but he quickly grabbed ahold of his staff again."Your blood tastes devine...", she leaned up to his ear and whispered,"This will make a good feast."

Koru's eyes shot open wide and he roared in pain yet again as she bit into his left shoulder like she was attempting to tear the flesh from his bones. He could take no more. Koru fell to his knees and his roar grew weaker when the panther shoved him to the floor and kept drinking. Koru watched Hikage as he lay there. He couldn't believe he could be taken down so easily. And he was going to die. Hikage's lips were too preoccupied with his blood, but Koru could see the glee and joy she took from taking his life by the shine in her disgusting eyes.

Koru closed his eyes. He was so tired. And the numbness was beginning to take over.

Suddenly he heard a distant roar. And he felt the slightest tug on his left shoulder. He could feel arms lifting him to his feet. And he heard his name being called. It was a sweet voice.

"Koru. Koru honey, open your eyes.", said the voice. Whoever it was sounded worried.

"I'm tired...", he whispered.

"I know Koru but we have to leave. We can't stay here.", said another voice. It was a male behind him. He then heard the sound of glass breaking behind him.

"Can't stay here...", Koru nodded and lifted his heavy eyelids halfway. Everything was blurry. He saw a white figure holding up his right side, and an orange figure holding up his left. He kept his head down and let the two figures lead him out the front door. He heard an annoying scraping noise coming from his right. It took all of his focus to realize he was still gripping his staff. Through it all he still held onto it. Why?

Maybe something told him to keep himself awake just a little longer. Maybe it told him if he just focused on that feeling of keeping ahold of the metal staff then someone would come in time. And apparently someone did. He dare not let go of the staff. He would not let his rescuers down, whoever they were.

Koru now felt a sack being put over his muzzle, and his eyes stung. He shut his tearing eyes and kept walking. He could breath almost normally from the sack, but the air was still very dense. Strangely enough he now felt himself being brought up a slope. And then he was laid down on a very evenly surfaced hill before the sack was taken away. He could feel the fresh air entering his lungs.

He opened his eyes to see all of the bats in the sky flying down towards the mansion. He could not see the first floor, but every single one of the bats stuffed themselves into the building as the once black sky was now turning gray and the sun was now barely creeping on the horizon. He saw three figures hop ontop of the roof. He heard very hateful speech but could not make out the words.

Then someone helped him raise his head up. And he leaned on the soft surface that now cradled his head as he could take the full view of the still somewhat smoky mansion. He looked up and saw the white figure again and smiled. His vision was clearing and he could see the wolf again. She smiled back, but he could see her tears. Even though they looked sad she had the most incredible eyes.

Suddenly an explosion disrupted his peaceful thoughts. He sat up a little from the sound alone, and it felt as though someone was slapping him awake when he saw the fiery building burning and taking every bat with it.

Looking around, he now noticed what they were sitting on. A massive slab of the Inner Wall that was leaning on the Rabbit mansion, or what was left of it. Now the only thing that sat where the Rabbit mansion once stood was a pile of rubble and stone. Everyone was now standing on the slab, save for he and Yunwei. And Song's body was behind the group still dead to the world. Continuing his gaze, he saw that most of the Inner Wall was completely destroyed, as well as the King's Palace and most of the buildings within the inner part of the city. The market had been completely obliterated. And through a huge gap in what was left of the Inner Wall, he could see in the distance citizens now slowly pouring out of the main gates. No doubt they now had many ladders set up.

"Get up", he heard someone say. It was a female's voice, but no where near as sweet as Yunwei's. It was a harsh voice, yet held no wrath. He looked up to his left to see his sister standing beside the two staring at the smoldering pile of destruction that was once their home.

Koru slowly stood up with Yunwei's help, still leaning on his staff. He was very weak, yet he did his best to put up a tough front. Yunwei held his left arm with both of hers and stared with the rest of the group.

In the front of the group from left to right facing the continuous smoke was Monkey, Viper, Crane with Mantis on his hat, Mei Ling who had one of Crane's feathers tucked in her vest, Po, Tigress, Yunwei and Koru. Behind them Jiu-Ne was standing beside Song studying a scroll that Saisei, who was standing on Song's other side, had her to read. Every male aside from Po and Koru was wearing a corsage from the grown Violets and Tulips. Even Mantis had the petals strapped to his back. It made him look silly, but he ignored it.

Tigress scanned the pillar of smoke that rose into the dark night sky yet she kept her sights on the base. Her red eyes glowed while her eyelids narrowed."Po..."

Po nodded,"Yeah, I see."

Everyone else in front glared at the smoke to see if they could find what the two were talking about, and soon everyone got their answer.

As the smoke began to clear, three figures stood amongst the wreckage. It cleared even more as the wind blew. From left to right stood Moeru, Hikage with the jar in her arms again, and Shifu. The group could hear a soft, slow clapping coming from the lion.

"Grande. Simply grande, lover. Dousing female bat pheremones inside the house, how clever.", beamed Moeru. Shifu glanced back and forth between Moeru and Po. He was immensly confused."You have learned a few tricks. Wish I could say the same for your bitch!", she hissed.

Tigress flung her ears back and snarled viciously. She started to step forward, yet Po put his paw on her arm and whispered,"She's just trying to get a rise out of you. Ignore it.", then as the female straightened up and tried to calm herself down, Po looked back at Moeru,"We want to barter."

Moeru gave Po an amused look and crossed her arms,"Oh? What do you propose?"

"Give us back Song's soul and Shifu and release Yunwei from your seal, and we will not stand in your way when you unseal Bokyaku.", he said, which Tigress looked at him and opened her mouth to speak; she was stopped when he put his paw up to her face, not looking away from the lion.

Moeru's eyes widened and she raised her brows,"Hm. Interesting idea. But I think not.", she waved her paw at them dismissively as she looked away to her right momentarily.

Po let out a low growl,"What do you want then?"

"I want Seikaku dead, Saisei back with me, and you by my side as we rule China.", she gave a wide grin as her scarlet eyes darted to the panda.

"You're insane.", Po shook his head.

"Mmmm perhaps.", she tapped her chin,"But I stand by my wishes. Besides, insanity is so much more fun!", she giggled and and did a series of cartwheels and flips before landing at the foot of the slope with a smile on her face.

She studied the group as they glared at her, and she weighed her options. Truly if they attacked now she would be finished. If she had stayed with Hikage and Shifu, she could have been defended. But where would be the fun in that?

"I tell you what.", said the lion in a matter-of-fact tone, placing her paws behind her back and pacing back and forth,"I love a challenge. And I adore the thrill of causing people trauma. So pick someone to become my slave, anyone in your group. And I will give you back the leopardess' soul and the Grandmaster. Then we can have a little race to Bokyaku's hibernation chambers."

"Hold on. Where is King Hogonepai?", asked Po.

Moeru giggled,"Oh lover, what in the world could we have done with an old man like that?"

"I'm serious, Moeru. Come clean, where is he?", the panda began to scowl.

"Maybe he's in that cunt's fat belly where her bastard child should be.", smirked Moeru.

Tigress started to run down to Moeru, but suddenly Koru jumped down the slope with the aid of his staff and swung his staff downwards in his landing infront of the lion. He missed, but kept swinging.

Moeru laughed as she easily dodged Koru's staff swipes."Are you really that dumb?"

Koru snarled at her as he stopped his assault and leaned on his staff again, panting hard,"Dumb or...not. You shall not...speak to her like that!", he then felt Moeru's foot slam into his face. Koru flew back and smacked his body into the slope with a sickening thud and multiple, simultaneous snaps.

Koru tried to stand, but Yunwei held him down and shook her head, her face was covered with concern.

"I will speak however I wish, tiger.", spat Moeru.

"Moeru please, tell us. He is a good friend of Oogway's.", said Po.

Moeru narrowed her eyes at the panda and slid her tongue over her fangs in a small frown,"And therein lies the persona I cannot stand. Yogan, you are a god. But so is King Hogoneipai. And unlike you, he does not bask in the glory of the living.", her lips formed an evil smile.

Po's eyes widened. Tigress looked back and forth in between the two, but said nothing.

"You didn't."

"I diiiiid.", giggled Moeru in a sing song voice lookig very proud of herself. Po lowered his head as she continued,"And you were toooooo late!", she began to do a few cartwheels until Tigress ran down the slope at her.

Moeru stood at the ready and for a moment, both the lion and the tiger's eyes locked. Both pairs of irises glowed for an instant, and the fight began.

Moeru created a wall of flame with a sliding foot in a swing kick around the ground that surrounded her. Tigress flipped into the air and dodged the flames as they swung outward towards her like a drawbridge, then she performed an ax kick straight downward at the lion.

Moeru could not dodge Tigress' speed, but she did block it with her right forearm. As soon as Tigress felt Moeru's arm, she swept her leg down to Moeru's side and grabbed her extended wrist to pull out her arm from it's socket. Moeru growled and swung her claws at the tiger with her other arm. Tigress grabbed Moeru's other wrist by letting her right paw release Moeru's arm. Moeru attempted to wriggle her right arm free while Tigress was distracted with her left, but Tigress did not allow her enough time when she flung her knee upwards into Moeru's chin.

The lion growled again, twisted her wrists and pulled her arms up and back to pull away from the tiger. Once her grip was taken from her, Tigress attempted an open palm strike into Moeru's stomach. Moeru dodged by pulling her abdomen back, then spung up and did a brief handstand on Tigress' arms before flipping over her and elbowing her in the sides. Tigress saw this coming and flipped herself onto her paws to dodge the attack, then she double kicked Moeru in the lower back.

Moeru hissed in pain and stumbled forward. She glared over her shoulder at the one she hated with such a passion. Her eyes glowed yet again, her claws outstretched and extended unnaturally. They began to turn from black to green.

Tigress glared over her own shoulder in her crouched position. She extended her claws as well, the fur on the back of her neck bristled. Her tail twitched in hatred and her throat emmitted a dangerous snarl.

Neither of them moved. They stared each other down as if picking off any defenses predicted by the other. The wind around them blew softly as the sun was now entirely visible, yet barely floating over the edge of the world. It created dismal shadows under the fighters.

Tigress twitched her nose in suspision when the wind blew. Her eyes glanced at the claws of Moeru, then they narrowed. She uttered one word, yet with the word spoken it shook everyone from what small shred of nerves they still held onto.

"Poison."

Moeru grinned, her fangs now bared.

Po tensed up like never before,"Honey please be careful! Take no chances, remember what Oogway said!"

Everyone glanced at him, yet kept their focus on the fight.

Tigress nodded slowly and closed her eyes. And Oogway's voice began to sound in her head.

_"To get to the end you must find your beginnings. And to protect your beginnings you must destroy your end."_

_"To get to the end...", _she thought as she deciphered the riddle,_"The end of Moeru's life."_

She breathed in deeply,_"I must find my beginnings...the true birth of my soul."_, she began to remember her life as a youngling. In her parents' loving embrace. They had pride and beauty, for they were dragons. The bloodline must somehow be continued.

_"And to protect my beginnings...", _she opened her eyes._"My child..."_

"I must destroy my end...", she spoke the last part as her eyes glowed fiercly. And suddenly the ground shook around her. Her fur began to change and clump together into scale like forms. Her irises narrowed. Her claws and fingers began to grow longer.

But then she stopped all changes. She now felt immense pain in her side. She turned her eyes towards the lion behind her.

Moeru had a look of relief, shock only showing as a ghost in her features."Well now...you almost gave me a scare there.", she leaned down and whispered into Tigress' ear in a singsong tone,"If only you'd have practiced a little more, your baby would have lived you little whore."

Tigress twitched in pain and she stared wide eyed at Moeru. The claws in Tigress withdrew, and Tigress collapsed onto the ground.

"No!", shouted Shifu and Po in unison. Yet only Po took action. Before Moeru could blink, Po kicked her in the side of the head as hard as he could. She took the hit, but merely tumbled to the ground a few feet away.

As Moeru tried to recover, Po took Tigress, who had returned to normal and was foaming at the mouth, into his arms and dashed back to the group.

Moeru stood and smirked, rubbing her head from the hit.

"Finally", she turned her back to them and walked away with a huge grin on her face. Seikaku was going to die. So she and Yogan could be together.

"Moeru, stop! Give me the antidote! Now!", roared Po with his eyes glowing red in pain and anger.

Moeru would not stop walking, but said teasingly,"If you give me a slave, I'll tell Saisei which poison I used and she can heal her herself."

Saisei flinched slightly and looked at the wound.

Everyone looked around at each other. They did not have much time. But who would take up the role? Viper hissed involuntarily out of her grief. Monkey gripped his swords as if he was about to cut off Moeru's head. Mantis paced back and forth on top of Crane's hat as if thinking of a way out of this. Crane was doing the same thing, yet he stood in his spot and stared at the feline he considered a sister. Mei Ling tapped her foot repeatedly, wiping a few tears from her eyes as if contemplating something and repeatedly glancing at Crane. Jiu-Ne sobbed silently as she knelt down on the other side of Tigress, covering her own mouth as she stared at her dying daughter whilst a million factors invaded her head; she could save her daughter's life, but she would never see her again, she was facing the same problem she had to deal with almost thirty years ago.

Koru growled lowly. Yunwei looked down and closed her eyes. She knew there was nothing she could do. She felt so useless. Everyone always did the fighting for her. And when the oppurtunity to help presented itself, she was already a pawn. She could not sacrifice herself for the trade. Suddenly a voice made her eyes shoot open wide.

"I will be your slave.", said the voice.

Moeru stopped in her tracks. Hikage smiled wide and licked her lips. Shifu looked down solemnly.

"Swear it.", stated the lion without moving."Swear that you will be my slave forever, and you will have your old geezer and the slut's soul back."

"I-I...I swear...", the voice started. Everyone looked at the speaker and shook their heads. Some yelled at the speaker and even smacked their face to get them to stop this foolishness. But it was no use. Their mind was made up.

"To be...", said Moeru.

"To...be..."

"The slave of Moeru...", Moeru's eyes glowed a soft red at the same time as the speaker's irises did.

"The slave of Moeru..."

The two began to speak in unison,"forever...and for all eternity. Until my life is useless to her, or her just rule deems me free, this contract shall always stay true."

Moeru bared her fangs in a wide grin, her tail swung back and forth in amusement."Denounce your friends, and all bonds."

"None of you are my friends. I feel...I feel no remorse for your eventual deaths.", he looked around at the stunned group staring at him; all of them had wide eyes, and some even leaked tears. He looked down sadly.

"Now throw down your weapons.", hissed the cat.

He threw down the weapons he carried.

"Now go stand by Hikage."

"Yes, master...", the male walked down the slope, stopping only to look back at his friends for the last time.

Moeru growled,"Now!"

The creature squinted his eyes in pain. He knew he was doing the right thing. Everyone else had their hearts bonded to someone; moreso than just friendship. So he turned back around and continued his walk.

Master Shifu looked at him sadly. The pain in the red panda's heart seemed that it would never end. And now with tonight's events, it never would.

The male only glanced at the Grandmaster, and returned his gaze to the panther's side as his eyes found the residue he'd been holding back.

Finally he stopped. And turned around. He could see everyone on the slope. No one said a word. But he heard a voice to his far left, though he put his head down from the words.

"This is certainly not...the way I would ever have wished to tell you this, but...", Shifu sighed heavily, sadness feeling like they would forever be in his eyes,"I am proud of you...Monkey."

The primate nodded slowly and closed his eyes.

"Monkey...", said Viper sadly with tears in her eyes.

Mantis hopped from Crane's hat to the stone to get slightly closer, as if maybe he was seeing things.

Koru gripped his staff and growled again.

Po looked at Monkey as if his heart had just been broken, and he mouthed the words 'thank you', to which Monkey nodded with a small smile. He took a minute of silence to honor his friend's sacrifice. But he bit his lip and spoke up in almost a growl of bitterness,"Moeru. The deal."

Moeru's ears perked up and she spun around with a look of complete innocence on her face. She clasped her paws together under her chin,"Oh my my my, I completely forgot! Saisei I used the Puramu poison. Better hurry now honey, or your step mommy won't live to see her stillborn blood!", the lion actually flinched when Po gave her a demonic snarl, but shook it off and reared her head to the panther,"Hikage, be a dear and let loose the soul. And Shifu I release you from your bond.", she spoke the last sentence deadpanned and with a dismissive wave of her paw.

Shifu sighed heavily in relief as the stone around his neck stopped glowing and he ripped the rock off before throwing it to the ground. It crumbled into dust.

Hikage pressed her palm into the top of the jar as it popped open. The strange gray light turned into a brightly blue glowing mist. The mist flew out of the jar and sped towards the group. The group parted and allowed the mist to rush passed them into Song's body.

Song immediately gasped a deep breath and panted hard. She began to seize from the transition. Her eyes began to glow blue. Saisei began to chant softly under her breath infront of Tigress as Yunwei went and knelt beside Song to make sure she didn't smack her head in the stone hill.

Everyone else turned back to look at Moeru with angry features. Moeru blinked when she noticed Po with Shifu at his side and noticed the dust that was softly settling beside the panda's feet.

"Perhaps this race will be shorter than I thought. No matter, we have settled things. For now.", the lion's eyes flashed mischeivously.

"What do you mean, Moeru?", Po glared at her from his now kneeling position beside his mate, who was now breathing normally again and was no longer foaming at the mouth. Saisei had even managed to pull the green goo out of Tigress' wound, but now Tigress started to bleed freely.

"Dad, we have to go. She doesn't have much time, she needs medical attention.", whispered the liger.

"I was simply referring to the race, lover.", said Moeru as she walked to Hikage's side. Hikage began to glow purple. And once Moeru made it to the panther, the purple glow passed around the two along with Monkey in a protective orb."But. All this simply does not matter.", Moeru turned around back towards them, shook her head with a disturbing smile and showed fake caring eyes."You see, I don't think I can chance you beating me, lover."

Po growled,"What the hell are you talking about!", he yelled. Viper's eyes widened.

"Oh Yogan. I am so sorry for this. But you must go through death once more. But I promise you that I will rebirth you with Bokyaku's power!", she replied."You are all about to die in...", Moeru looked at the sky,"three minutes.", she sighed and looked to the ground.

"You spout nonsense. We have the bigger group, even if you've got Monkey with you!"

"Lover, do you not remember? I am nothing if not tactful.", she said. Viper slithered over to Crane and whispered to him as Moeru continued."I knew that you would find some way of destroying my horde of bats. And although I did not know you were going to be so bold with it, I knew you would somehow aquire the things I have taken from you.", Crane looked at Viper disbelievingly, but when she nodded vigorously, he took off. Moeru watched and smiled in her devious way. She turned her gaze back to the group"And with such losses, I knew I had to be certain that you would all die no matter what happened in this city."

"What have you done?", asked Po in a darkly serious tone.

"Dad, seriously, she needs help!", whispered Saisei,"I don't know any healing spells!", Po closed his eyes and nodded.

"Fine.", he said under his breath so that only Saisei could hear, but raised his voice when he opened his eyes and raised his head,"We're leaving."

Moeru inclined her head to the left and stared up at the sky,"Mmmmmm, I don't think so. Goodbye, lover. I will see you again in one year. At the beginning of the Summer Solstace.", she kissed her palm and blew it to him. At that moment, Crane came swooping down in front of them. He landed on the stone hill in front of the panda leader.

"Po! We've got trouble!", he panted, looking helplessly defeated.

"Why, what's going on?", asked Po as he laid his paw on his lover's wound; his paw began to glow blue as the wound closed on it's own, and he flinched when a wound began to open in his side. Saisei threw her father a worried look.

"Her army is out there! Her entire army!", the whole group, even Koru who was laying below, looked at the bird."And that's not all. Po, they've surrounded the city."

Po growled under his breath."Then what the hell are we supposed to do?"

"I think you know exactly what you must do...Po.", said Shifu as he stared at the panda. The expression was strange. Po wasn't sure if he had a look of respect for him or a look of sorrow.

Po stared back at him, searching his eyes for some clue. And then it hit him with the raising of his eyebrows,"But Shifu, I...I can't...", Po looked back at the love of his life and rubbed her abdomen softly.

"You can, everyone here is counting on you. And I am much too weak to pull out a group of this size."

"It's not that, Shifu. Not everyone would survive.", said Po, his voice barely able to be heard from the sound of the drums in the distance.

"Tigress will be fine Po, you have made sure of that.", smiled the red panda hopefully."Besides, even the severely injur-"

"Tigress is pregnant!", snapped Po.

Shifu froze. His chest began to rise and fall rapidly as the drums drew closer. The drums and his chest were almost in sync."I...I...", Shifu blinked repeatedly and cleared his throat,"If you provide the power, and I provide the control, we can perform the technique successfully without any fatalities."

Po smiled and nodded.

Moeru squinted her eyes and stared at the group while the conversation was taking place. Even with her feline hearing, Hikage's barrier along with the sound of the drums kept her from hearing their lowered voices. Her whiskers stirred uncomfortably when Po and Shifu stood and walked to the opposite sides of the group as the entire group huddled together around Tigress and Song. Jiu-Ne and Yunwei pulled Koru up the slope with great effort. Koru helped by pushing at the ground with his staff.

"What are they doing?", asked Moeru under her breath, yet it did not go unnoticed by Monkey or Hikage.

"It looks like they're...praying?", Hikage's face scrunched up as Po clapped his paws together in front of the group at the foot of the slope and Shifu got into the Lotus position behind them. Everyone in the group was holding their appendeges together in the huddle. Suddenly, Po parted his paws with a roar.

In between his paws was an orb of blackness, yet it took the form of lightning as strains jolted back and forth unstabilizingly in his palms. As Po parted his paws wider and wider, now at elbow length, the ground began to shake once again. The sounds of the drums did not help this as tremors waved over and over throughout the city. The Inner Walls continued their crumbling from before,

"Is-is this an attack! I have never seen this before!", shouted Hikage, who turned to her master. Moeru was simply staring at the event, crossing her arms and flicking her tail in annoyance. Her eyes glowed for a moment. Three seconds later, the sky began to darken.

Mantis glanced up nervously,"Guys...they're firing...", he said warily."Hurry it uuup!"

Po shut his eyes tightly, using all of his concentration to hurry the technique along as his green eyes glowed through his eyelids like a paper trying to cover up the sun. Po roared in pain.

The roar caused Tigress to stirr in her state."Po...", she said quietly in her midconciousness. Her eyes stayed closed, yet she could hear everything. And the sound was horridly familiar.

The arrows sent themselves down and buried into the ground, thousands and thousands of pieces of wood and metal hitting the dirt made for a sound like a blazing fire. Po's ball of blackness grew and grew as he brought it above his head. It was now so large that it shadowed over the entire group. Every arrow that attempted to hit them entered the orb and vanished out of thin air.

Moeru cursed under her breath.

Suddenly Po's arms parted as wide as they could go and the ball dropped onto the group and the slab they stood on. The black ball retracted into itself and disappeared into nothingness.

_Somewhere near the Imperial City_

A young blue snake child was tending to his family's garden. He hated it so, but it was the life he was meant to live. Oh how he wished something exciting happened around here. Even in the outskirts of the Royal Family's rule, there was hardly any violent actions. No lawbreakers, or bandits at all. All because of the diplomatic genius that was the current Emperor. And that may be fine for most citizens, but for the snake boy, it was torture.

Finally finished with planting the seeds for the bok choy, another annoyance, the boy slithered to one of the orange blossom trees and settled in it's shade. Even as a reptile, the boy was very lazy. He did not even take the time to sweat out the impurities in his scales like his mother always told him to. Of course he did once in a while, but for the most part his scales were very dull looking and dirty. But what was the point? It's not like royalty would ever visit him.

Suddenly the boy blinked when he saw an orb of darkness form over his precious garden. His yellow eyes stared in confusion as it got bigger. Perhaps he was seeing things, but even still it was the most interesting happening he'd ever encountered. Even in his dreams. So he cocked his head to the right and continued to stare.

The ball eventually became giant. As big as his small home. But even for the size of a small hut, this orb was huge. Then out it came. First, a lot of rubble and stone were spat out onto the freshly plowed dirt. Then came...people? One, two, three, four...twelve people! Out of nowhere!

The snake rushed over to the groaning group. Most of them began to sit up or stirr, but some were out cold.

"H-Hey! I don't know who you think you are, but I worked real hard on that garden! Fix it right now!", huffed the ten year old in anger.

Shifu was the first to speak. He was still on his knees, but he panted and raised a paw,"I-I do apologize on behalf of our clan for our sudden appearance. But it was an emergency. We will fix your garden as soon as our injured are healed."

Just then a scream of horror came from Viper, causing the snake boy and Shifu, along with everyone else aside from Tigress and Song, to look over at what was wrong. Every conscious mind thought one word just now.

"No."

Viper sobbed and pulled out the arrows hastily in desperation. That perhaps it was possible to reverse this tragedy. To bring everything back to normal. Soon Mantis was attempting the same as tears streamed down his own face and onto the white fur that was matted in red.

Tigress opened her eyes halfway and crawled to the one Viper screamed about. Her entire body shaking in fear and pain, she laid her paw on the male's shoulder and stared in a silent prayer.

Once all arrows were gone, Mantis put his antennae to his chest. And then he began to slam his pinschers into the chest over and over again in stubborn attempts. Shifu acted quickly. He barked orders for a cart to be found. And for Crane to fly to the Imperial City. All introductions and explanations of events would have to wait, for they all had one goal in mind.

To keep this panda alive.

_To Be Continued..._


End file.
